Commencement
by lxk
Summary: Third in my Our Aim is True-series. Hench has betrayed the Earth, the Lorwardians have attacked and Ron has turned into Zorpox. Will Kim ever see Ron again? And how can she fight the father of her unborn child? Darkness rises...
1. Mistakes easily made

**Author's note: Ok, here we go with the third story in my "Our Aim is True!-series. If you haven't read the first two stories "Hard yet Easy Choices" and "Shout it from the Bleachers", I suggest you do, if not for your sake, then for mine. If you don't want to do that: Kim is pregnant, Ron's the father, they're out of the hero business and are engaged. These fics diverge after "Car Alarm". Ok, nuff said. Let's roll.**

**Commencement**

The sound of energy blasts echoed through the timeshare lair as they hit the walls, the furniture and the priceless inventions. Professor Dementor tried to focus to see if they were getting closer or moving away from him, but he had problems hearing everything over the beating of his heart. On the floor in front of him lay the body of henchman no. 6, not moving.

"Verdammt!" He angrily whispered. The henchman was one of his better ones, and had moved up the chain impressively fast in the last two months. Now he lay unconscious, but still breathing on the cold concrete floor.

Dementor got down on the floor and slowly crept towards the corner of the wall. He peeked round the edge. The attackers were shooting up everything in sight, but were not yet moving toward his position.

Good, he thought. At least he had time to formulate a plan. He gazed to the other side of the room, where he saw what he realized was his best shot. The only problem was that he would have to cross the room, and would risk being seen. And if he risked being seen… he only had one shot.

He pondered where he would go, assuming he could get out in one piece. He briefly thought about going to one of his safe houses. The timeshare was one thing, but they couldn't get to one of those, could they. He grumbled, as he realized that they were not supposed to know he was at the timeshare either, as he had only managed to convince Drakken to take his spot two days ago. He wondered if they were really after Drakken, but then again, Drakken's lairs could usually be invaded by someone armed only with a toothbrush, if it weren't for that Shego-woman being the last line of defense. These were highly trained mercenaries, destroying his lair methodically.

He returned to deciding where to go. The safe houses were out, if someone had gotten to him this fast and acting on so little info, they could have found them. The list was getting shorter. He needed to go somewhere sufficiently random,. But well equipped enough that he could stay there for a few days, at least.

He grumbled. It was an option… Not one that he liked, but still. He peeked around the corner again. The mercs seemed not to pay any attention to what was going on at his side of the room. Now or never, he thought at made a break for it. He made it to the other side, and reached his goal: the transportulator.

Frenetically, he punched in the number and waited for a response.

"We're sorry; your call can not be completed as dialed. Please check-" Dementor slammed down the receiver.

"Verdammt NOCH MAL!" He realized his mistake as soon as he had made it. The shooting suddenly stopped, and he heard footsteps moving towards his end. Frenetically, he picked up his pocket computer, and began looking for the correct number. He found it. He'd only been one number off. He dialed again. He heard the beeps. He also heard the footsteps getting even closer. He wasn't a praying man, but he considered to start, if he got away in one piece.

Suddenly, he could hear the phone on the other end being picked up. Just as he felt his molecules transforming into energy he looked towards where the attackers would come. He saw a shape and a strange glow, and just made the connection to who he saw before he was whisked away. Mein Gott, he thought. He could just have made the biggest mistake of his life.

Anne Possible grumbled as she realized her mistake. She had had a good feeling about this attempt. Everything had been going right. This lasagna was going to be fantastic. Until, that is, Rufus had snuck in unseen and stolen the parmesan. Now, the good doctor was stuck with a cheeseless lasagna, and was one step closer to an ulcer.

Kim and Ron's graduation was approaching fast, there was only one week left until they would step on to the podium and receive their diplomas. Anne couldn't be more proud of her daughter and her daughter's fiancée, but right now, it all seemed overshadowed by one fact. This was going to be the first time that two families would gather in great numbers, two families that were going to be united in the future. Add to that, the extended families would also attend, which meant that not only would there be Possibles and Stoppables attending, but also the Beeches, Ron's mother's side of the family and Anne's own side of the family, the Teakes.

Anne and Ron's mom, Sandra Stoppable, had taken on the job of making sure that everything else was going to be just fine at this gathering. They were not afraid that Kim and Ron wouldn't come across just fine, but there were other, potentially dangerous situations that needed to be dealt with. Situations that could drive the four families apart, something that could make the wedding a nightmare. Ron's cousin Shawn, for instance. Anne had heard the stories. If that kid tried any of his tricks on someone like Joss Possible or Anne's nephew William Teake… Someone would be going home wearing band-aids. Or gauze. And it sure wasn't going to be Joss or William.

Hours of work had solved many of these situations, with careful thought to seating arrangements and which topics which would not be discussed at the dinner table. The only threat left was the food. Various allergies and dislikes had made this a tough job, but eventually; they'd managed to set a menu.

Problem was, that menu included the Possible family lasagna, a recipe that Anne had never mastered, even though Nana Possible had shared it with her fifteen years ago. Anne was getting closer with each attempt, but she was still not sure that Nana had left out certain ingredients, because she never got it just right. And now, she was being sabotaged by Rufus.

In the living room, she heard laughter. Kim and Monique were sitting there, planning the wedding, still two months away.

Anne smiled as she remembered that day in April. Kim and Ron had come back from defeating that English monkey man, and in the evening, they announced their engagement to the crowd at a basketball game at Middleton High.

While the parents hadn't been at all surprised that the kids had gotten engaged, they were somewhat unhappy with how they had announced it. It started up a media flurry, similar to what had happened when Kim's pregnancy had been disclosed, which didn't make either family happy.

The irritation had gone away, however, when Kim and Ron had told them about the proposal. Anne still got choked up thinking about how the teens had discussed their future together, their love for one another and ended up with the question. Well, questions. Kim had gone first, Ron second. Their answers were simultaneous, though. Anne only wished that someone could have taken the time, in the past, to teach Rufus to use a video camera.

They'd been more surprised, though, when Kim and Ron had decided on the wedding date in late July. Both the Possibles and the Stoppables had insisted on them waiting, at least enough to take some time to live together first. The teens had understood their fears, but had compelling reasons why. In August, Ron would start college at Middleton Community College, and in October, Kim was due to give birth. Fitting in a wedding there would be too stressful, and after the birth, Kim probably would be able to take the time to plan a wedding for at least six months, and they did not want to wait that long to be united in marriage. The only options left were either to elope, which, thankfully, neither of them wanted to, or to wait until after graduation but before Ron's studies started. So, late July it was.

The surprises didn't stop there, though. Within two weeks, Kim and Ron had a wedding planner, paid for by Mr. Nakasumi and Martin Smarty, who had banded together and financed the entire wedding. The parents tried to use this to get them to rethink their July wedding, but Kim and Ron had held on to their decision. They had said that they wanted to start their life together as soon as possible, and that it didn't matter to them if people saw it as a shotgun wedding.

Anne sat down, and listened in on Kim and Monique, who were discussing the invitations, it seemed, while she contemplated whether to call and ask her husband to pick up some more parmesan on his way home, or if she should just go out and get it herself. She decided to so the latter, and left, after saying good bye to Kim and Monique.

"Kim, I'm serious! You're just begging for trouble if you place Bonnie anywhere within hearing range of… well, anyone! Why you even invited her in the first place, I'll never understand", Monique exclaimed.

"Hey, I invited everyone else from the cheer squad; it would just be mean to leave her out. Besides, she hasn't acted like her usual self these last few months."

"I don't know, Kim. It could just be a plot. She'd gonna do something, and I don't want to have to say I told you so when she does, but I will."

"Monique, calm down! I mean, she was the first to congratulate us; she stopped referring to Ron as a loser since Tara slapped her, and she got best captain at the Nationals! She's… mellowing." Kim really had sensed a change in Bonnie, and even though they would most likely never come near to being good friends, at least they tolerated each other these days. Granted, not being in competition for the role of captain anymore had done its part to lessen the tension.

"Fine, it's your wedding. Is Ron ok with this, though? I mean, as bitchy as she's been to you doesn't compare to how bitchy she's been to him these last few… years." Kim sighed.

"Well, it took some convincing. And some haggling." Monique raised her eyebrow at Kim's statement. She waited for Kim to continue.

"In case anyone wants it… there will be Bueno Nacho-food available." She sighed.

"Kim! Fast food at your wedding? No, Bonnie's not worth that, even if she'd turned into Mother Theresa!" Monique gasped at the thought.

"I only said it would be available, not… that I'm actually going to tell anyone. Or that we will be serving it somewhere people could see without binoculars." Kim smiled a little. She knew that Ron's request was more about him than anyone else, and as long as it was just something Ron would know about… She could live with it.

"By the way, where is Ron? I thought he was gonna get here before I would?" Monique had come over after her shift at Club Banana, and she knew that Ron had a shift at Smarty Mart, but he should have punched out before her.

"Oh, he's already here. He's… taking a nap." Kim started blushing a bit. Monique picked up on it.

"Aha. He felt tired, did he?"

"Uhh… I guess." Kim felt embarrassed about the whole thing. Monique continued to look at her inquisitively. Eventually, she cracked.

"Ok, fine. He didn't feel tired. It was either that or fainting." Monique stared at her.

"Girlfriend, are you running him that ragged? I mean, I've heard about… you know… how women in your sitch get a little demanding…"

"You got that right. He's been coping ok this far, I guess this one craving just did him in."

"Oh my gosh, I don't think I want to hear anymore." Monique regretted opening up the subject. Kim looked at her.

"What? I mean, it wasn't that odd, it's just because it's Ron that it became such an issue. I mean, to anyone else, I'm sure it's no big."

"Kim, I really don't want to hear about it, I don't… want to imagine you and Ron in that sort of sitch."

"Monique, you've seen it a thousand times, what's the deal?" Monique paused.

"What?"

"What?"

"Aren't… Aren't you talking about… you know… certain… cravings?" Kim stared at her friend.

"Food cravings, Monique. God! I'm not gonna sit here in the living room and talk about… any other cravings!"

"Ok, so I misunderstood." She pondered for a while. "Wait, Ron felt faint because of a food thing? Really, what did you do? Cook?"

"I'm pregnant, not insane. I just felt like having a naco, and called him when he left Smarty Mart, and he got one for me."

"Ok, I know you usually go for the salad, but I've seen you eat nacos, and I know Ron has. " She paused. "Unless… you did something to it." Kim looked at the table, embarrassed.

"I… I took a bite, and… there was something missing. So I got it from the kitchen."

"What did you get?" Kim mumbled something, and Monique had to repeat herself. Kim replied, while looking away.

"Strawberry jam." Monique's face twisted into a disgusted look.

"Eeeeuh! Girl, that is… Eeeeuh!"

"Yeah, that's what Ron thought too… And then he imagined how it must've tasted and turned white as a sheet."

"Really? That's a strong reaction, isn't it?"

"Well, Ron is a great chef, and he invented the naco. I must've… offended him, I guess, on at least two levels."

"Kim, that offended even me! Don't do that to Ron!" Kim sighed.

"I'll try not to. At least not with nacos. But it did taste better than you'd think."

"Yeah, not buying it", Monique said, and burst into laughter, thinking of poor Ron, overwhelmed by his girlfriend's weird sides. Just as she was going to get back to the Bonnie sitch, the phone rang. Monique offered to get it, but Kim declined the offer. She got up, more slowly than she would have even a few weeks ago. She was now showing her pregnant state quite clearly, perhaps even more clearly because of her usually slim body. Kim picked up the phone, and was surprised to hear only faint clicking before…

"Ms. Possible? This is agent Will Du of Global Justice. We require your and Stoppable's presence ASAP. We are sending a helicop-" He didn't get further before Kim interrupted him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did you miss a memo or something, Will? We're not doing any missions any more, why would you-"

"It's for your own safety, Ms. Possible. There is a situation in progress that could… no, already has gotten out of hand, and we fear you could be a target." Kim froze. The thought of something happening now… After Monkey Fist had kidnapped her, and had been soundly defeated by Ron and, surprisingly, Duff Killigan, the villains had seemed to back off.

"What is it, Will? What's going on? And don't tell me you'll tell me when we get there, I'm not leaving my family if something could happen to them, and neither will Ron." On the other end, agent Will Du sighed. Amateurs.

"We have no reason to believe your families are in danger, and we're not yet sure if you actually are in any danger. But we're not taking any chances right now."

"Why?" Kim pressed on. After a few moments, the answer came.

"Three hours ago, there was an explosion at the Global Justice headquarters. Dr. Director is in critical medical condition. We're not sure she's going to survive. And we believe you can help us find the culprits. The chopper will be there in fifteen minutes. I suggest you get ready."


	2. The Whodunnit

_**Author's note: Well, finally the next chapter is here! I had too many ideas there for a while, but now, I'm back on this! Thanks for all your reviews!**_

Will had been right on the money. In exactly fifteen minutes, the chopper arrived. Kim and Ron stepped on hesitantly, hand in hand. Ron had managed to get over Kim's naco-shock, and was back to his normal high spirits.

They were surprised, however, when they discovered that the chopper didn't bring them outside of Middleton, merely flying them to the outskirts. The pilot explained on the way; all entrances via the tubes had been shut down. The only way in now was through the most secure entrance they had.

He wasn't kidding about the entrance they were using being the most secure one. Kim and Ron passed through so many different checkpoints as they walked through the corridors, Ron almost felt the need to ask if all the tests would be comped by their insurance company. Blood, x-ray, retinas, fingerprints, not one way of identification left out. Probably some ways they didn't even know about. Finally, they approached the last door. As it opened, Kim and Ron stepped into the command center, a chaos of agents milling around. They felt out of place in the activity, until Will Du stepped up to them, welcomed them and escorted them to an office overlooking the center.

Will took a breath. While he wasn't happy about bringing in Team Possible, he was glad to see that they have arrived securely.

"We're here, Will. Start explaining", Kim said. She knew she had to be a bit more aggressive than she usually were, since Will always had that tendency to be dismissive and patronizing otherwise. Will eyed her. It wasn't everyday that he was met with hostility by pregnant women, after all.

"First of all..." He began. "I want to apologize to you for bringing you into this. I hope you both know I wouldn't think of it if I weren't desperate."

"Because I'm pregnant or because we're amateurs?" Kim said, raising an eyebrow. Ron grimaced and took her hand, trying to calm her down. Will's head sunk a bit.

"The former, in this case", he responded. Kim leaned back a little from her defensive stance. Will took a breath and continued.

"Two days ago... The Worldwide Evil Empire, the WEE, ceased to be. An attack was launched against their headquarters in Antarctica, and the rest of the organization fell within hours. Gemini micromanaged the entire thing way too much, and without him, it was sure to go belly up."

Kim and Ron's eyes widened as Will spoke. Ron was the first to regain his ability to speak.

"You took down WEE? That's... That's amazing!" Will grimaced at his words.

"That's the problem. We didn't. Someone else did." Will sensed the teens' confusion and continued. "We believe we know now, but two days ago... we were in shock. Happy, but... shocked. But the prospect of a new player, probably with technology and other assets captured from WEE, added to their already obvious strength... scared the living daylights out of us. Enough for Dr. Director to summon a meeting with regional directors from our offices in Asia, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia. And that's when we were bombed. From within. In the middle of our headquarters", he said slowly, emphasizing every word.  
"But... this place doesn't look damaged at all", Kim remarked.

"Just like any US air force aircraft is designated Air Force One if the President is on it, any GJ base is designated the headquarters if Dr. Director is there", Will explained. "The base where the meeting took place, and consequently was bombed, was our base in Racine, Wisconsin."

"How is she? Dr. Director, I mean", Kim said, remembering the phone conversation she had with Will earlier.

"Stable, but not conscious. The explosion took place in the command center, not in the vicinity of the meeting room, but the explosion was strong enough to..." He paused, catching his breath. "150 agents and other personnel died because of the explosion. Including the regional directors of Europe and Australia." Kim and Ron winced. This was serious. Way more serious than they had expected. Ron looked over at Will.

"So... what are we doing here? I mean... we're out. If you wanted information, you could just talk to Wade."

"Dr. Load was in Racine", Will said, his tone serious. Ron's jaw fell, Kim covered her mouth, unable to speak. Tears were forming in there eyes. Oh no... Not Wade...

"He was there to help us with some of the hard drives recovered from WEE", Will said, then realized that's not what they wanted to hear. "He's at the hospital right now, alive but unconscious. He's expected to make a full recovery, but it'll be several days until he's able to help us."

"Does his parents know?" Kim asked softly. Will nodded.

"They're on their way there right now. He... When the blast happened... An agent protected him from it. The agent died saving him." Will said somberly. Silence took hold of the room for a moment.

"What do you need from us?" Kim asked, steeling herself.

"As I said... we believe we already know who attacked us, we strongly believe there is a connection to the attack on WEE. We need you... to figure out why, and more importantly right now... what the next move is gonna be." Will concluded. Walking over to the end of the room, where a large monitor was lowered from a hole in the ceiling. The monitor flickered on, displaying the command center at Racine. Kim and Ron watched in silence as the video footage ran on. Suddenly, the room exploded and the screen turned black.

"We stream all footage from every base to a secure location, that's how we picked this up", Will said. The monitor again displayed the Racine base control room. "That's how we caught this", Will said, using the remote control to zoom to the left corner of the screen.

The image focused in on one of the staff working on a computer panel. He removed a piece of the panel, getting access to the cable. He produced a pair of pliers and cut a cable.

"Is he supposed to do that?" Ron asked. "I mean... He didn't turn off the power or anything." Will stayed silent and watched.

The electrician, or whatever he was supposed to be, reached into his tool belt and produced a small knife.

"Watch this", Will said.

The electrician held the two ends of the cable he hand cut in his left hand, the knife in the other. The camera zoomed in again as he reached in and... cut his left index finger with the knife. Kim and Ron gasped as the realized that the electrician wasn't bleeding red. He was bleeding green.

"A syntho-" Kim began to say, but stopped herself as she watched how the syntho-electrician quickly brought his bleeding finger to the ends of the cable and... Explosion. Darkness. Silence.

"Yes... Dr. Drakken", Will said. "And since you are the foremost experts on him... GJ needs your help."

"I... I can't believe it", Ron said, still shocked. "I mean... Drakken's never done anything like this before."

"That's what we said when he almost succeeded with the Diablo plan", Kim remarked. "He can be competent when he really tries to. But yeah, killing is not his style at all. Maybe someone got... control of a syntho-drone and... I don't know..."

"We had that theory, yes", Will said. "But we're the only one's who has access to the syntho-drones apart from Drakken, and not even we knew they could explode like this. That someone else could have gained access to enough syntho-drones to do the kind of testing involved to find out that they had this explosive property if electricity was passed through the syntho-gel... is highly unlikely."

"I still can't believe it just exploded like that", Ron said, shaking his head. Kim took his hand.

"Well, you know how his plans tends to fall apart. Remember the first clones he did? The ones that melted if they got soda on them?" Ron nodded. "Maybe he didn't even know that the syntho-drones could explode until after he escaped prison."

"In any way... we believe it's him. He's been laying low for a longer time than usual. And even if he's not responsible, he would know who did this. We need to find him, we need to know what he's up to." Will's speech was interrupted when his phone suddenly rang. He answered it, and excused himself from the room.

"This is gonna be hard to figure out without..." Kim began, then paused, thinking about poor Wade.

"Yeah, but... I mean, we do know him and his plans better than anyone else", Ron said. Kim nodded. She looked back at the table, trying to make sense out of it all. Suddenly, Will walked back in.

"There's been another attack", he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Professor Dementor. Our agents report that a group of henchmen and a woman matching Shego's description was seen entering his time-share lair. Apparently Drakken was supposed to staying there, but switched with Dementor just two days ago. This confirms it. It's Drakken."

"Where's Dementor now? Did he get away?" Ron asked.

"We haven't found him. His henchmen were there, some very much injured, though no one dead, but he's gone. We don't know if he escaped or if they took him, though many of his inventions were either destroyed or taken."

Kim looked at Will, inspiration striking.

"I... I think I know what he's doing. I don't know why, but... I think I know where he's going next." Ron and Will looked astonished.

"Look... GJ were the only ones who could stop him, that's why he took you guys out. Or, tried to, I should say. But Dementor and WEE are different. Why would he attack them?" She asked.

"Uh.. he doesn't like them?" Ron tried. Will remained silent.

"Well, true enough, at least with Dementor. But no, they've got something else in common." She got up and began to pace around.

"WEE is- was a big organization. Bigger than anyone, almost. And Dementor is... I hope 'is' is the right word... a genius. They are almost the only super villains who rely on themselves to create their own stuff. Everyone else just steals it from someone else. Or... they go to Jack Hench. He's trying to take out anyone who can oppose him. GJ, because you're you, and the super villains because they could take him down later." She sat back down. "You need to secure HenchCo, Will. They could be next." Will stared at her, taking in her reasoning.

"If he was trying to take down anyone who could oppose, him... That's a very long list" He said, finally.

"It is... but maybe it's because of something they've worked on. Something he's using. Damn it, if only I knew more about what Dementor and WEE has worked on... Maybe we could figure out what they've done." Kim responded.

"We're gonna have to go through a lot of files, then", Will said. "I'll get a team ready to go to HenchCo." He got up and moved to the door.

"You... are you gonna need us for that?" Ron asked. He knew Kim was out, but he could still be of use, what with his monkey power getting stronger by the day.

"No, not for this. If anything bigger comes up, we'll discuss it, but I grew up without a father. Wouldn't want your daughter to grow up the same way." Will opened the door and was stepped-

"Hold it right there!" Kim yelled. Startled, Will looked back. "What.. did you just say?" Will looked perplexed.

"That I grew up without a father?" he tried.

"You said daughter. Not baby, not child, not kid. Daughter. Why did you say that?"

"Well... the tests... when you walked in. They showed that... Didn't you know?" Will said, still confused. Ron sighed.

"We wanted to be surprised", he said. "Not like this, you know, but... the other way."

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't know that", Will said, apologetically. He actually sounded sincere, Kim thought. "I'll... just go... yeah, team and all that..." He exited the room, somewhat ashamed.

Ron looked at Kim. Suddenly, she started to chuckle. After a while, Ron joined in.

"I mean..." Kim said in between chuckling, " Of all people, we get to hear it from him. That's... that's just weird." Ron nodded.

"Yeah, that's... gotta be a first." He responded. "But what's even more confusing is that it means... Rufus was right!" Kim looked at her soon to be husband. He was right. Ever since they had told him, Rufus had been absolutely convinced that the baby would be a girl.

"You... You're right! I mean, he was right!" With that, Rufus popped his head out from Ron's pocket. He had stayed quiet during the conversation, mostly because he was out of his element, but now, he was right back in it.

"Told'ya!" He triumphantly exclaimed. "Little Kim!"

"Ok, one point for you, Rufus", Ron said. Rufus smirked and dove back down. Ron looked at Kim again. "You know.. this does make it easier to pick a name..." Kim smiled at him.

"I think I know one you might like...", she said, and leaned in and whispered in his ear. Ron grinned as he heard it. It was a great name.

---

Professor Dementor stared at the blue scientist in front of him. Drakken grinned at him, a little surprised, but still... this was not going to affect his plans.

"You got some nerve, Professor... To show up here, in my lair, today of all days." Dementor swallowed. As soon as he had seen that Shego had been with the attackers, he knew that he had made the wrong choice in using the transportulator to get to Drakken's hideout.

"Still, this doesn't change my plans that much", Drakken said. "It just gives me a chance to show what a good host I can be..."

Drakken threw his arms up as he began to laugh. For the first time in his life, Dementor actually found that laugh... villainous.


	3. Good use

**Author's note: Chapter three! Yeah, I know, late and all that... Stuff going on, ya know.**

_The young man stepped away from the messenger that had had arrived. He bowed his head in acknowledgment before he turned and ran as fast as he could across the rock garden, towards the main building. He ran through the corridors as if possessed, even though he knew that he should have been a little more used to this sort of thing by now._

_He finally reached his destination, a room designated to his master, and he quickly opened it and entered, hardly even slowing down._

"_Master! It's Dakken! He's been spotted at-" _

_A hand flew up and the young man shut his mouth immediately. The older man who sat at the desk took a breath and turned to look at him._

"_Tomo-san, I know news of enemies in our vicinity makes you a bit... eager, but would it be that much of an inconvenience for you to knock before you enter my chambers?" The master said, frowning. Tomo squirmed and looked down._

"_I apologize for my impudence, master Toshimiru", he said, softer than his tone had been as he entered. The master smiled a quick smile._

"_Oh, Tomo-san, it is forgiven. I suppose I should blame myself, really. I should have protested the first dozen or so times." He stood up from the desk. "Still, you understand why I need you to stop doing that?" Tomo looked back at his master._

"_Because when we get back to your residence I need to show you proper respect as the master of the house, even though we are brothers in the Order of the Chosen Monkey Warriors?" Tomo responded finally. Toshimiru shrugged._

"_Well, that's a good point, but I was thinking more along the lines of how angry my wife would be if you entered at the wrong moment." Toshimiru walked over to Tomo and put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Even if you were my master instead of the other way around, I would have to insist on this. You'll understand some day, Tomo-san."_

_Tomo blushed and looked away. Ever since master Toshimiru had learned that Tomo had no marriage prospects because of his standing as an orphan, there had been many discussions of how Toshimiru could help him find a wife. Right now was not going to be one of those moments, Tomo decided._

"_I.. hope so, master. But as I said, Dakken has been spotted in a village not four hours away. You and I are the only warriors in the region capable of confronting him." Toshimiru raised an eyebrow at his brother and apprentice's words._

"_I thought Tamiya-san and Aoyama-san were supposed to be in this region as well?" He said. Not that he was going to shirk his responsibilities, but... In three days he was going to be home again after two years on the road. He didn't want to arrive on a stretcher. Tomo shook his head._

"_They left a week ago to visit Morisato-san. Our host told me he had received a letter from Tamiya-san and Aoyama-san's host yesterday. Apparently, their host was quite happy to see them leave." Toshimiru frowned._

"_Then we will go alone, Tomo-san. Ready our equipment and see if our host can spare any capable men." He turned and walked over to see to his own armour. Tomo observed him for a moment._

"_Master... If we defeat Dakken... That will be the last of your old enemies." Toshimiru looked up._

"_There will always be someone new, Tomo-san. Some dishonored lord thinking he can take these isles by force or guile. Some gang of murderers thinking they can prey on innocent farmers without retribution. Some fool thinking that maybe, just maybe, he will be the one to walk the path of the Yono to victory. They will keep coming even though I have ended my service."_

"_But still, master", Tomo responded, "if Dakken is gone, no one can claim that you should go on a sixth mission. You could finally retire."_

_Toshimiru looked at his student. Tomo was right. With all his old enemies gone, there would be no need for Toshimiru to take another student on the road again. He smiled._

"_Perhaps. But let's see if we can defeat him first." Tomo nodded. He walked backwards towards the door as Toshimiru drew the Lotus Blade from its sheath. Tomo couldn't help himself._

"_Master... If we defeat him and you won't have to go on another mission... What would you do?" Toshimiru looked back._

"_I don't know, Tomo-san. Maybe I'll found a school."_

* * *

"Ron? Ron, wake up!" Ron came awake with a gasp. He stared at Kim sat next to him, her arm on his shoulder.

"Uhh.. Sorry, KP. Must have dozed off there.. All these papers, you know." He grinned sheepishly. To think his last week of high school would actually be spent... studying. Kim grinned.

"Yeah, I know. Wade used to do this sort of thing for us so fast... He really is a genius." They had spent the last three days in the Global Justice base, trying to find if any invention existed that connected WEE, Dementor and Hench to Drakken's attacks. They had talked to their families, but weren't yet willing to leave. Not as long as GJ needed them.

Kim looked at the files again. So many inventions, so many diabolical uses for them... But they had found none so far that connected them. She sighed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really wished I could get inside Drakken's head right now. I have no idea of what he's doing." Ron grinned.

"Yeah, sick and wrong to want to get in there... Super-villains thought aren't the most pleasant, I can tell you that", he said.

"Hey, at least you only wanted nacos", Kim responded, grinning.

"Hnh! Nacooooos!" Rufus said as he sat up on the table. The little guy was getting tired of this too.

"Don't worry, Rufus, as soon as we're out of here, we'll get some for you", Ron replied, patting his friend on the head.

"Hnh! We'd better! And J.P Pizza!" Rufus responded as he lay down again. Ron looked over at Kim again. She was in deep thought.

"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way. Maybe it isn't one thing Drakken is scared of, maybe it's several."

"How do you figure?" Ron asked.

"Well, like Rufus. He wants nacos from Bueno Nacho and pizza from J.P Bearymore's. We'd have to go to both, right? Maybe these guys all have some part of Drakken's thing, whatever it is." She looked back at the papers. "But that means we just have more stuff to consider. This really is starting to look like a wild goose chase." She threw the papers away. Ron took her hand.

"You know, I think you might be right. Like if it's, say.." He grabbed the first file he could find, "Dementor's... uhhh... telephonic energy distributor and..." He grabbed another file. "WEE's energy manipulator and... Hench's... " He searched for a HenchCo file but couldn't find one within reach, "let's say... Attitudinator for old times sake."

"What could he do with those?" Kim asked, raising her eyebrow at her boyfriend, who managed to find the Attitudinator file.

"Well... the telephonic thing means that you can send pure energy over the phone lines... use 'em like power lines, I guess... and the manipulator thing means you can convert energy to other types of energy as long as you have a connection to it... and the Attitudinator.." Ron paused. "He could use this to send Attitudinator energy over the phone lines! Everyone who answered the phone would become an evil maniac or minion!"

"Yeah... But why would he want to do that? Just because everyone is evil doesn't mean they'll follow him", Kim responded.

"Ehh... You're right, that does seem a bit... off. But anyway... maybe it's something like that we need to look for", Ron said. Kim nodded.

"True. But in that case we need to get more people in on this. I'll go talk to Will." She got up from her chair, straining a bit as she did. The... girl inside her belly had at least, not made herself known that much while they were working, aside from a weird wish to get some licorice ice cream. She kissed Ron on the forehead and exited the room they had been assigned to.

The base was still on high alert. A team had been dispatched to secure HenchCo, but so far, Drakken hadn't made himself known and no tracks had been found. They hadn't even found Professor Dementor yet, which made Kim very worried. She made her way to Will Du's office, where he had been holed up for the last three days, trying to sort through all of his new responsibilities.

"Hey, Will. Any word?" She said as she entered after given permission to do so.

"Well... your friend Wade woke up for a few minutes just an hour ago... Dr. Director is out of immediate danger, even if she's still unconscious...But no new signs of Drakken or Shego. We're still waiting for something to happen, I'm afraid. Are you having any better luck?" Will responded rubbing his nose.

"Not really, and if I'm right, we're gonna need more people to help us with this." Kim explained her theory and Will agreed. He'd get the files out to other bases to see if they could help. Right now, the Middleton base was far too busy to assist them.

"Good thinking, Ms. Possible", Will said after making the calls to the other bases.

"Just doing what I can, Will. Though this paperwork is getting a bit tiresome", Kim responded. Will grinned.

"Yeah, if there's one thing I've always envied you amateurs of, it's that you don't have to do any of that." Kim smiled at his words. Even though he was in the hot seat, Will had softened his attitude towards her and Ron a lot.

"If that's what being an amateur means, I think I'm glad I'm not a pro. Well, that and I can compete in the good guy Olympics with a clean conscience." Will actually chuckled at that comment. Kim looked at him again. She squirmed a bit before she spoke again.

"Seriously, though, Will... I... I wanted to talk to you about something else while I was here..." Will sat down in his chair and gestured for Kim to sit as well.

"I... I was thinking about what you said... that you didn't want to send us out into the field?" Will nodded slowly. "Well... It's just that... I don't know if you know how Ron's gotten better at his monkey power stuff, and I... I just thought that you shouldn't... I mean..."

"Are you trying to say that you think I should send him into the field?" Will looked a bit confused.

"Well, no... not like to HenchCo or anything... But if something happens, you can count on him to step up", Kim responded. Will scratched his chin.

"I'll think about it. What made you change your mind?"

"Well... As much as I don't want him to get injured, I don't want the world to end just because I need my guy to stand beside me at all times, you know?" Will nodded. There was a momentary silence before Kim spoke up again. "So... How are things going at HenchCo?"

"Well, the team's in place and all, but Hench is being a bit of a pain", Will said, shrugging.

"He thinks he can handle it by himself?" Kim asked.

"Well, he does have droves of henchmen... and a lot of equipment, so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch. Then again, so did WEE and Dementor, so..."

"Yeah...", Kim said and pondered for a moment. "You know... I've always wondered... Hench has been serving the villains for years, why haven't you ever..."

"Arrested him?" Will shrugged. "He claims he's just an arms manufacturer with an.. exclusive clientèle. Most of the stuff he makes is non-lethal or can't be considered a weapon, like the Attitudinator or the molecular muscle enhancer. The henchmen are technically independent contractors that he serves an an agent and trainer for. Going after him would be a legal quagmire. Besides... he does have his uses". Will grinned a little at the last remark.

"How so?" Kim asked.

"Well, even though his computer system is virtually impervious to hacking... Someone always sends us password updates. We get his entire scientific database and his sales listings. We know who's got what and how much they have." Will smirked. Kim nodded knowingly.

"He's not stupid, that's for sure... Anyway, I'm gonna go back to Ron now", she said, getting up slowly. She left the room just as Will's phone rang. She went back to her and Ron's office. Just as she entered, however, Will came rushing in behind her.

"We need you in the command center. You were right. Drakken's attacking Hench."


	4. Hench Defence

**Author's note: Another chapter! Yeah, I'm on a roll this week! **

"Agent Winston, report!" Will said as he entered the room, followed closely by Kim, Ron and Rufus. The agent standing by the console assigned to the lead agent got up immediately.

"Sir, about two minutes ago, a hostile force of about fifteen made a direct assault on HenchCo headquarters, specifically the loading bay area. Our agents have thus far been able to contain them in the adjoining warehouse." Winston moved over and let Will take the seat. The monitors all over the control room displayed different views from all over HenchCo. Will leaned forward.

"Is Hench secured?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. Five agents are protecting him in his office and his emergency escape tunnel is secure", Winston replied.

"Thus far. No sign of any other hostile forces?" Will eyed the monitors showing the outside. It didn't seem like any others were coming.

"No, sir. They forced the gate with a truck and kept going, there was no subterfuge going on."

"Aren't you gonna try to get the people out of there?" Kim asked. She was watching different monitors of HenchCo employees running around in hallways and hiding behind furniture. Thankfully, the workers in the loading bay and warehouse seemed to have gotten away.

"Evacuating them would require our agents to leave the warehouse, I can't let them do that", Will replied.

"You can't be serious", Ron replied, clearly bothered by Will's words. "I know they work for Hench, but you can't let them-"

"I can't let my agents fall back, not yet!" Will almost yelled.

"What about Hench's... henchmen?" Kim broke into the conversation again. "Can't they be of any help?"

"They're not trained for the type of crowd control an evacuation would require", Will replied.

"Then tell them to fight Drakken's guys instead! They should know how to do that, right?" Kim raised her voice as she spoke. Will looked over at seemed to contemplate. He picked up his bluetooth earpiece and activated it.

"This is Du to Hench Control, over."

"Copy, agent Du. Your orders?" Kim and Ron watched as an agent who was in the room with Hench replied Will.

"Take the Henchmen and go down to the warehouse to assist our squad, copy?" Will spoke. The agent on the other line responded with a curt "understood".

"Du to Agent Miller, what's your status?" They couldn't see anyone of the cameras responding, but they heard a response.

"This is Miller, sir. We're holding them back as best as we can, but this is a big ware house. We got two agents down but not out, one agent missing. Agent Donahue says he saw Shego enter last, these other guys are synthodrones, sir." The agent on the other end of the line was clearly under a lot of stress, and everyone could hear the sound of gunfire on his end.

"Understood, Agent Miller. I've sent down Agent Allerdyce with Hench's guys to help you out. When they get there, you send Allerdyce and five- no six of your agents into the main building to get the employees out, understand?" Will finished. Miller replied with a quick "understood".

"Good choice, Will", Kim said, giving him an appreciative nod.

"Hope so, Ms. Possible", Will replied, before looking at the monitors again. Ron whistled almost inaudibly and leaned closer to Kim, whispering.

"Man, synthodrones versus henchmen. This could be the quickest fight ever or the longest one ever. And I don't have any idea of who will win! I mean... both sides are lousy!" Kim couldn't help but snicker at Ron's comment.

"Yeah... it's like a snail against a turtle on the 100 meter dash. But then again, if Shego is there..." She paused. "I hope the agents that are left equal one Shego."

* * *

Agent Munch sat on the cold warehouse floor, ducked down behind a large crate. He cursed himself for ending up in the position he now found himself in.

When the synthodrones came blasting their way in, he had been hit several times by their energy weapons. Nothing bad, but they had taken out both his radio and his gun with eerily well-placed hits. He had taken a few hits to his chest and arms as well, but with the armour he was wearing, he hadn't been injured as much as getting the wind knocked out of him. But that meant that he had fallen behind the other agents.

And now, he was alone, trapped between the first and second line of Drakken's men, without any weapon and without anyone knowing where he was. He sighed internally.

He noticed, though, that the second line seemed to be past him, or at least would be in a couple of moments. He knew that with his position, his next actions could lead to a Global Justice victory if he could capitalize on it. Taking out a few drones, hopefully get away unscathed...but how.

Suddenly, he realized where he was. This was HenchCo's warehouse, this was where they stored some of the equipment villains and thugs all over the world craved! There had to be something here that he could use!

He looked around. He couldn't search too far away from where he was, which was a problem, seeing as how this wasn't exactly the assault rifle part of the warehouse. He caught sight of one item that was probably his best choice. It was a netgun, which wouldn't do anything to lessen the number of attackers, but could maybe give them an advantage anyhow. The net seemed to be of good quality though, both inflammable and non-conductive. Small favors, he thought as he opened the crate as carefully as he could.

Munch moved his way slowly from his position and looked around the corner towards the loading bay area. There didn't seem to be anyone left over there. Good, that meant that he didn't have anyone shooting him in the back. He took a few breaths too calm himself down. Gathering himself, he rounded the corner and turned towards where the fighting was going on.

What he saw almost gave him a fright. He had managed to get behind Shego! And she hadn't noticed him yet! He raised the netgun slowly and aimed. The gun made a slight noise when he pulled the trigger, and it was enough to make Shego turn around. Fortunately for Munch, she didn't have enough time to get out of they way of the net, as it caught her and sent her to the floor.

Munch ran as fast as he could towards her, and, managing every ounce of strength he could, leaped into the air. His kick caught Shego right in the chest just as she was trying to get up, and the force of it sent her into one of the shelves. She hit her head on it, sending her into unconsciousness right away. Munch drew a sigh of relief. He had just faced the worst challenge of his life so far and come out victorious.

* * *

Will grinned as Miller gave him the latest update. He got up from his seat and gathered everyone's attention.

"People! We did good! All synthodrones have been reduced to jelly..." He paused." And I just got word that we've captured Shego!" The roar of approval from those assembled in the control room was a loud one, and Will couldn't help but smile.

"Well done, Agent Du", Kim said, smirking.

"For a professional, she means", Ron added while he waggled her eyebrows. Will's smile grew into a short laugh at that comment, before he caught himself.

"Alright. The team's gonna be back in an hour. I want the Middleton Police department prepared to hold Shego and-"

"Wait, you're not gonna transfer her here?" Kim asked, perplexed. Will shrugged.

"The base was designed for research and communications, not for holding prisoners. We have some cells, but the only one that could really hold her is... occupied at the moment. But the police department has a cell that will do", he answered. Kim noted that Will had avoided saying who was in the maximum security cell. She pondered on letting it go, but...

"Who's in that cell, Will? It can't be anyone more important than Shego, right?"

Will remained silent, not looking at either Kim or Ron. They could see he was getting uncomfortable as he frowned and turned towards them again.

"Listen... this... this wasn't my decision..." He began, but stopped himself. He glanced at Ron.

"No. No, no, no, you are not telling me that-" Ron spoke, Kim's gaze shifted to him. His eyes were filled with seething rage. Kim looked back at Will, who avoided Ron's look, but nodded.

"You've got... Monkey Fist... in a cell... here in Middleton? My HOME? MY GIRLFRIEND AND BABY'S HOME?!"Ron took a step forward, but Kim reached out and took his hand before he got any closer to Will. When he looked at her, she could see a shade of blue flashing in his eyes. His monkey power was flaring up, but he calmed down when he looked at Kim. As he did, Will spoke up.

"I know.. We knew that you wouldn't be happy with it, but we have our reasons for holding him here."

"And just what reasons were those, Will?" Kim spat at him. "Why are you holding the same guy who almost killed me, Ron and our baby here, of all places? What if he got away?" Will sighed.

"First of all, he's heavily sedated and in restraints at all times, there's no way that he can escape. Add to that, both of his feet are amputated, so even if he got out of the restraints, he would be easy to catch. As for why we're holding him here... Do you remember that drug that he took, Endentin?" Kim and Ron nodded. It had been stolen from the Fossing Corporation, along with the Dellocain that had almost killed Ron when Killigan had used it.

"He took it to make himself grow more muscle, but what does that have to do with you holding him here?" Kim responded.

"Well... the reason for why the drug was discontinued was that it led to enraged behavior in almost 85 of the lab rats it was tested on. In the case of humans... well, Monkey Fist is the only one that has taken it, and he's.. well, to put it mildly, completely insane."

"As if he wasn't before!" Ron remarked sharply. Will nodded.

"Whatever his problems were... the Endentin made it worse. He's frothing at the mouth mad now, not the standard diabolical scheming insane he used to be. We suspect that it was the drug that led to him kidnapping you that time."Ron frowned.

"If you're trying to tell me that he's gonna be declared not guilty by reason of insanity-"

"No chance of that," Will interrupted Ron. "We got him on more than just the kidnapping. And anyway... we're not even sure if we can bring him back to his usual state. That's why we're holding him here, to see if we can find a cure."

"I say leave him where he is", Ron muttered. Kim squeezed his hand, while Rufus climbed up Ron's side to end up on his shoulder, gently patting his friend on the cheek to calm him down. Kim looked over to Will again.

"So... shall we go over to the police station then?" She asked. Will frowned.

"You're coming?" He asked.

"Hey, if you think you're gonna get her to talk, you're in for a big letdown. She won't talk to any agent or cop. But she'll talk to me. She always talks to me. No matter how many times I tell her to shut up."

* * *

They arrived at the station 15 minutes later. On their way there, Will had tried to impart some lessons on how to interrogate a prisoner, and he could only hop that Kim took the lessons to heart. They checked out the cell and waited for Shego to arrive. 45 minutes later, she did.

She hadn't put up much of a fight while she was being transferred. The agents on the scene at HenchCo had managed to secure her with all kinds of handcuffs and footcuffs They had even put on her specially designed ceramic gloves that prevented her from igniting her plasma fire. Kim was not used to seeing Shego this... confined. She shivered a bit as she was brought into the cell and made to sit down on the other side of the table. Shego grinned as they fastened her to it.

"Well, well. The Princess is here. Can we get some coffee in here so that we can have a nice conversation?"Shego said, smirking. Kim tried to look as if she wasn't bothered by the situation.

"Maybe later, Shego. But right now, you're gonna talk."

"About what, Princess? Wanna reminisce about the old times?" Shego replied.

"About Drakken's plan. What's he up to?" Shego leaned back as Kim spoke.

"Don't know really. I think he's just bored, really."

"Bored? He's killed or injured agents of Global Justice, not to mention WEE, Dementor and HenchCo!" Kim spat out. Damn it, she couldn't let Shego get to her!

"Ok, so maybe he's trying to settle some old scores? Maybe..." Shego said, leaning back in, "You should watch your back. He might be coming for you next, Princess." Kim frowned.

"So you're saying you don't know what he's planning. Seems a bit out of character for him, doesn't it?" Kim asked, leaning in.

"He talks a lot, yes... but not about everything", Shego responded. Kim leaned back again.

"You have any ideas, any theories?" Kim asked.

"As if I would tell you that, Princess. Did you honestly think I would say anything that would help you?" Shego scoffed.

"I suppose I didn't", Kim said. Slowly, she stood up. Her pregnant belly made it a bit straining, and she had to take an extra breath as she got up. Shego stared at her with contempt.

Kim bit her lip as she walked around the table, her hands in her pockets, looking a little dejected.

"You know, Shego... All things aside... we do have a lot of history..." She took a breath. "So I hope you understand me when I say that... If I'm wrong about this, I'm sorry."

"Shego tried to turn around at Kim's words, but the restraints held her back. She couldn't see when Kim came around the way she wasn't looking. Suddenly, Shego's right arm exploded with pain, She looked over and saw Kim, who had moved away. She was holding a small pen knife.

"What the-" Shego began, but stopped as she looked down on her arm. Green goo was flowing out of a cut just below her elbow. "DAMN YOU!" She screamed as the synthogoo flowed out and left her a withered husk. Kim dropped the knife on the floor just as Ron and Will came running in. The whole thing had happened too fast for them to get into the cell any faster.

Ron reached her first and embraced her tightly, breathing heavily. Will leaned down and picked up the knife.

"This is MY knife, Possible! What made you think that you could just take it and... and.." He was at a loss for words.

"Will... I didn't plan this, I was just... I was afraid that if she got loose... I needed something to defend myself with. I can't fight all that well with the baby riding shotgun." She looked back at Ron, who was finally returning to his senses.

"Kim..." he began, almost sniffling.

"So not the drama, Ron", Kim said before he could get anything else out. "I know how to handle a knife, it's a part of a couple of the martial arts I know."

"But... but you..." Ron tried, but Kim pulled him in and gave him a big kiss before he could get anything else out. When they leaned back out, he could only smile. "Well, ok, then, he said", softly.

"More to the point", Will broke in, "How did you know she was a synthodrone?" Kim shrugged at Will's question.

"Well, I guessed that you hadn't been able to scan her like you scanned us, right?" Will nodded. There hadn't been time, and since this... Shegodrone wasn't being brought to the GJ base, they would have had to bring the equipment with them. He cursed himself for not remembering to do that. Kim continued.

"Well, there were things that just wasn't right about her. She kept calling me Princess, for instance."

"She does that all the time", Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, but she tosses in other things to, like 'pumpkin' or 'Kimmie'. This one just called me Princess over and over, like she couldn't think of anything else." Ron nodded at Kim's reasoning.

"And she didn't even try to take a swipe at Drakken or his plans. She almost seemed to have respect for him. The real Shego would never have that much respect for him not to insult him when I serve her up like that." Ron smiled. True enough. Kim continued.

"And... well.. She didn't even mention me being pregnant. I mean... Would Shego ever miss out on a chance to call me, like, 'preggo' or something if she had the chance?" Even when I got up, she didn't say anything! It was as if she was programmed by someone who had only watched us fight, like once or twice or something and didn't know how she acted around me."

"Oh, you're good, KP!" Ron exclaimed. "A well deserved 'Booyah' to the lady!"

"BOOYAH!" He exclaimed, along with Rufus. Will frowned.

"So, what does this mean?" He asked. Kim sighed.

"I... I think it means... That Drakken might not be behind this.", Kim responded. Will's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Shego would never let Drakken clone her, regardless of the plan. And if he didn't do this..."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a sound. Kim couldn't help but smile when she heard it. It was the kimmunicator! She quickly fished it out of her pocket. She had brought it with her when they left to go to the base, and she still carried it around. The image on it showed Wade with a large bandage on his forehead.

"Hey, Kim! What's the sitch?" He asked, grinning.

"Wade! You're ok! Are you feeling alright?" Kim said at the time as Ron.

"I'm a little woozy, but... for the most part, I'm ok", Wade responded.  
"Thank God", Kim said. "We were so scared, I don't..." She paused. "It's good to see you", she finished, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Alright, I get enough of that from my parents. Anyway, there's been a hit on your website!"

Kim frowned at her former teammate's words.

"Are you sure you're ok, Wade? You took down the site, remember?" Wade shrugged.

"I kept it up so I could help people get in touch with someone who could help them, in case they didn't know you had quit."

"And you're checking it out from the hospital bed? Dude... you need to learn to relax", Ron said.

"Ron, I've been offline for three days. What did you think I was gonna do when I woke up? Anyway... you need to see this", Wade finished.

The image shifted. Instead of Wade, the screen was now filled with the visages of Drakken, Shego and... Dementor? What the... Kim thought.

"Greetings, Kim Possible!" Drakken spoke, as exuberant as ever. Dementor and Shego... the real one, it seemed, rolled their eyes and sighed at his opening line, but Drakken ignored them. "I think we need to have a conversation..."


	5. Dinner with Dementor

**Author's note: Ok, just one more chapter before I take a small break (well, smaller than the last one). This chapter's all about the comedy, hope you'll like it!**

**Three Days Ago**

"Still, this doesn't change my plans that much", Drakken said. "It just gives me a chance to show what a good host I can be..."

Dementor swallowed nervously as Drakken laughed. He had never been in a situation like this. Frankly, it was a situation he used to scoff at when he saw it in movies. The supposedly brilliant villain who becomes completely taken in by the charming, friendly and capable guy that suddenly seems to show up everywhere he is and can't even see the signs up until that previously nice Bond fellow tries to kill him.

But this wasn't a secret agent, this was Drakken. Which made things a whole lot more unpredictable. Dementor cleared his throat.

"Vh...Vhat are you planning to do?" He asked slowly, repressing his usual distinctive way of yelling out the last part of the sentence. Drakken suddenly smiled a more... genuine smile, rather than a devious one.

"Oh, I have a couple of nice Porterhouse steaks ready to throw on the grill, Shego's making her famous vinaigrette – you have no idea how hard it is to get her to do that- and I was just going to start cutting up some potatoes for my own home made french fries!" Drakken's mouth got watery as he spoke and his eyes were starting to roll back when he suddenly looked back at Dementor. "You don't have a bottle of red or something with you, perhaps? I can't keep any good stuff around ever since the henchmen... well, you know how guys like them can be."

Dementor looked confused at his colleague. Was he really talking about food or was he stretching the 'host' metaphor too far? Wait... did he just say that Shego was here?

"Uhm... Doctor..." Probably best too show a little bit of courtesy. "Did you say zhat... you're going to make me... dinner?" Oh God, Dementor thought. Make me dinner? Don't give him ideas about cannibalism! Drakken frowned.

"Well, I mean, since you're here and all. By the way, why are you here? I already told you I was ok with switching our time-share lair bookings around!" Dementor swallowed again. Was Drakken really this good at playing dumb? Or was he even playing?

"Vell... ehh... Zhere... is a matter of.. some concern that I vould... ehh... like to speak to you about", he managed to get out. True enough. Drakken was just about to answer when Shego came in from an adjoining room.

"Hey, Doc, I'm done with the damn vinaigrette. If you want to get going on those fries you're gonna have to do it... What's Dementor doing here? Did you invite him?"She said as she noted the diminutive Professor's presence. Dementor's eyes flew wide. Shego was actually here? But... She couldn't have gotten here this quick! And he would have heard if she had used the transportulator, the phone would have rung! What was going on here?

"No, Shego, he's here to talk about something. I 'm guessing it's going to be... a team-up! Haven't had a good team-up in a while!" Drakken exclaimed and turned back to Dementor. "It is a team-up, right?" Dementor shifted a bit.

"Well... uhh... of sorts..." He said, still eyeing Drakken and Shego.

"Told you, Shego!" Drakken exclaimed triumphantly.

"I didn't even say anything, doc", Shego sighed. "Brag to someone who cares." Drakken frowned and was about to launch into a tirade when Dementor interrupted them with a cough.

"Uhh... Could ve go someplace and talk, maybe? I really zhink you should listen to vhat I have to say.." Might as well get Drakken in on this, he thought.

"After dinner, professor", Drakken said. He squirmed a little. "I, uhhh... I'd prefer it if we didn't talk business right now."

"But zhis is really important!". Drakken leaned down and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"I really must insist, professor! You have no idea what it means to me! Could you please lay off the shop talk until we're done with dinner? Please and thank you?" Drakken's voice carried a sense of urgency that Dementor wasn't used to hearing. He gazed over at Shego, who rolled her eyes.  
"Drakken's mom is coming over for dinner and she doesn't know he's a villain. She thinks he's a radio psychologist", she said with a certain amusement in her voice. Dementor frowned as he looked back on Drakken.

"Your mother doesn't know you're a villain?" Drakken nodded sadly. "Really, Drakken. Don't you have any sense of self-respect?" Dementor shook his head in sadness.

"It's... complicated", Drakken replied. "She's just a sweet old lady, she's not good at handling surprises."

"But if you can't be honest vith your own family-" Dementor started but Drakken interrupted him.

"As if you've told you parents you're a bad guy!" Drakken crossed his arms.  
"Of course I've told them!" Dementor spoke. "And maybe you underestimate you mother. Sure, mine veren't happy about it, but zhey came around eventually. Vater was a little bit more... obstinate zhan Mutter, but if they really care for you, zhey'll accept you for who you are." Drakken scratched his chin and looked at Shego, who seemed amused at the situation.

"Well... Maybe... She's always cared for cousin Eddie, even if she doesn't approve of him being a bad egg..."

"Zhere you go!" Dementor said, and grinned, looking amused. "Strange...Zhere's always a cousin, it seems." Drakken raised an eyebrow.

"You've got a villain cousin too?" He said, a bit surprised. Dementor shrugged.

"Yes, but I don' talk to him except at family reunions." He sighed and shook his head. "He's a goofy tights-wearing, pun-making theme villain. Calls himself 'The Mathter'. Just one of those ridiculously flamboyant villains, you know?"

"The Mathter's your cousin?" Shego interjected, surprised. "I've fou- heard of him. Big dumb doof if there ever was one."

"He's still family, so I vould ask you to stop talking ABOUT HIM LIKE ZHAT!" Ah. That felt good, Dementor thought. But maybe he should keep the flair down for a bit longer.

"Anyway", Drakken said, "I'm not telling her today, so just get it out of your head. Now, I'm gonna go make dinner." Drakken went back to the kitchen.

"Soo... vhat vas he going to tell her vhen he took over ze vorld? I mean, radio psychologists don't take over ze vorld like zhat", Dementor said. Shego grinned.

"Well, Prof, that pretty much assumes he's ever gonna actually take over the world. Think you're gonna see that anytime soon?" Dementor chuckled at her words.

Dementor was shown to the living room, where he sat down and pondered. The situation seemed to be quite different than he had previously thought... His line of thought was interrupted when the door bell rang and Drakken came running from the kitchen to open it, still wearing the apron he had put on. After a few moments, he came back, escorting a short, elderly woman wearing a house coat with flowers on it. Dementor assumed correctly that this was Drakken's mom. They walked towards Dementor who got up.

"Mother, this is a colleague of mine, Professor Dementor." Drakken's eyes flew wide we he realized his mistake.

"Oh, I think I've heard of you!" Mrs. Lipsky exclaimed. Drakken, Dementor and Shego, who had come out of the kitchen looked stunned. Of course she would have heard of Dementor, he was a famous criminal genius! "You have that comedy show, right? But I thought you were a doctor, not a professor?" Drakken and Shego continued to look surprised. Dementor, however, seemed more calm, though.

"Ah... yes... I used to be, but zhen I got a promotion", he responded, looking a bit... annoyed.

"Good for you!" Mrs. Lipsky said, exited. "My Drewpie should have gotten one years ago, is what I say. Maybe you can take a page or two from your friend, Drew."

"Ehh.. perhaps I could... but please, mother, you just go into the dining room, we'll be there shortly", Drakken said. Mrs. Lipsky shook Dementor's hand, and then walked towards the dining room.

"Are you moonlighting as a radio host or something, Dementor?" Drakken asked, his eyebrows raised. Dementor sighed.

"No, _Drew_. Zhere just happens to be some verdammter disc jockey who has a similar name. He's the reason vhy I had to go by 'Dr. Demenz' instead of 'Dr. Dementor'. He vould have sued othervise." Dementor's voice had a certain contempt in his voice. Damn that man!

"Alright, _Hans_. Why don't you go talk to my mother or something, while Shego and I-"

"Ahem."

"While I get dinner ready", Drakken corrected himself. Dementor nodded and went to the dining room. Might as well try to get some dirt on Drakken's childhood, he thought.

Dinner was better than Dementor had expected, and while it was hard to pretend to be a radio show host, somehow he had pulled it off. Now, he and Drakken stood in the kitchen doing the dishes and discussing old plans while Shego filed her nails and read a magazine.

"...so anyvay, I jumped into ze cupboard rocket and launched myself out of zhere. A couple of seconds later, ze cat bomb exploded, but that INFERNAL KIM POSSIBLE and her baby daddy got avay somehow", Dementor finished. Drakken looked intrigued. Shego looked as if she was going to burst with laughter.

"Interesting...", Drakken said slowly. "So you're saying that Kim Possible was fooled merely by you wearing a dress..."

"It vas A HOUSE COAT!" Dementor responded, irritated. Shego could hold it in anymore, and exploded in laughter. Dementor ignored her. "Anyvay, you're one to talk! You look like you're vearing a long frock with pants underneath!"

"It's a lab coat!" Drakken responded angrily. "What I was saying was... that if she was fooled by a long-standing enemy just because he was wearing a... house coat..."

"Ohhhh no, you don't", Shego interrupted. "You are not finishing that line of thought."

"But Shego! If I dressed in a-"

"I said 'don't!'" Shego interrupted Drakken again. "First off, maybe it fooled Kimmie, but she's at home knitting booties and getting told she looks radiant or something. How many times do I have to tell you, she's out!" Drakken shrugged. Dementor nodded in agreement.

"Secondly... if you try what you're about to suggest, I'm walking out. For good."

"But why, Shego? I just want to-"

"Look, doc. I've had to take some serious punches to my rep by working with you." Drakken moved to protest, but Dementor grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. Drakken caught what he meant.

"When you failed as 'Rappin' Drakken', I let it slide. When you accidentally got hit by your own sleep ray and became 'Nappin' Drakken', I stuck around. When you thought you were a computer genius and tried to be 'Hackin' Drakken', I stayed, even though you couldn't even crack a MyFace account.. And lord knows I've had my share of 'Yappin' Drakken' throughout the years." She moved closer to hi as she spoke.

"I could go on for days, really. But if you decide to become 'Drag Queen Drakken', I'm walking out the door! Understand?" She grabbed him by the lapels and sneered a bit.

"Crystal, Shego", Drakken responded. Shego released him and sat back down with her magazine.

"Zhat is vhy I don't have a sidekick", Dementor whispered.

"I thought you said it was because you didn't want to be tied down to a contract?" Drakken asked, also while whispering.

"True enough, but I also can't stand zhe fighting and zhe lip and zhe, vell, you know vhat I mean. The both of you couldn't be more tied down if you were-"

"Ixnay on the arried-may, for God's sake!" Drakken interrupted him. He was staring to look a bit flustered.

"I vas going to say 'partners', but thank you so very much for putting zhat image into my head." Dementor shrugged. If there was something even scarier than having a sidekick or a partner in crime, it probably was marriage.

"Ehh...just so you don't get the wrong idea... Shego isn't my... you know..."

"Vhoa, zhere. Never said she vas", Dementor replied with a sly smile. Drakken sighed.

"Perhaps we should just get to talking about you team-up thing instead, shall we?" he said.

Dementor had soon explained how he had been attacked in the time share lair, and how it appeared as if Shego was one of them. Shego became furious at hearing this, and accused Drakken of cloning her, but Drakken swore that he hadn't.

Since Dementor was obviously on the hit list, and Drakken and Shego seemed to be set up to take the fall, they decided to start figuring things out by working together. They spent the evening and the next day trying to find out who could be behind it, but they came up short. They had, however learned that both WEE and Global Justice had been attacked, which ruled them out. But they weren't getting any closer.

"That's it", Shego exclaimed. "I think we should just leave this to the remains of GJ and get below the radar."

"We can't, Shego. We have to clear our names! At least of this, they've been killing people in our name!" Drakken seemed a bit angered at Shego's suggestion, and she nodded, exhausted as she was.

"Perhaps ve should contact zhe Global Justice people", Dementor said. "Maybe we could... pool our resources better if zhey know you're not behind zhis?"

"But if we try to contact them, they'll track us and drag us in and we'll never get to explain ourselves", Drakken said dejectedly. "Unless... we go through someone else!"

"Like who?" Shego asked.

"You need to ask?" Drakken said, grinning. Shego sighed.

"I told you, she's out! Whatcha gonna do, call her up, go 'This is Dr. Drakken and I'm being framed'? She'd hang up faster than the buffoon loses his pants!" Shego said.

"Ve could use her website, maybe", Dementor suggested. "I've heard her techie-boy sends requests for help forward?"

"Excellent idea, Professor! I'll go get the web cam!" Drakken exclaimed. A few second later, he had set it up, and the three of them got into frame. Drakken insisted that they all had to be seen, so whoever was going to see this at GJ knew Dementor was there, as well as Shego.

"Is it on yet?" Dementor asked as they stood there. They had talked through what they were going to say for a few moments, but since both Drakken and himself had tendencies to go on rants... this could go very wrong.

"We're recording... Now. Greetings, Kim Possible!" Drakken started. Dementor and Shego rolled their eyes. "I think we need to have a conversation..."

"Right now, zhere seems to be some type of plot going on to remove several key players on zhe vorld stage", Dementor broke in. "Myself, Global Justice and zhe WEE have all been attacked-"

"And whoever's behind this is trying to pin it on me and Dr. D", Shego interrupted. "But we're not in on this at all."

"As you can see from Dementor standing here." Drakken said. "Now, since we can't contact the GJ, we would appreciate if you could contact them for us and set up a meeting."

"Vhen you have, call zhis number, eh... 555-..." Dementor paused. "Is zhis a '4' or a '9'?" Drakken leaned in and took a look at the piece of paper Dementor was holding.

"It's a '4'", he said. Dementor sighed.

"Damned doctors and you're illegible hand-vriting", Dementor muttered.

"I'm not that kind of doctor!" Drakken replied angrily.

"You're not a doctor at all, you never finished college!" Shego broke in, grinning. Drakken coughed in irritation.

"Anyvay, call 555-4235 to set up zhe meeting", Dementor finished.

"If not for us, then at least to help Global Justice find whoever's doing this", Drakken said. They stood around for a moment, unsure of how to end the message. "Well, uh... bye", Drakken finally said and turned off the camera.

"Oh, damn, I forgot to say something about her kid!" Shego exclaimed.

"Hopefully you'll get the chance... and hopefully it'll be soon.." Drakken responded.


	6. TeamUp

**Author's note: Oh, yeah, plot thickens again! Haha! And, I noticed I had said that the last episode I included in this timeline. That's been altered to "Clothes Minded" instead. Just so you know.**

"Thanks, Wade. You just take it easy now, you hear?" Kim said as the image of Dementor, Drakken and Shego faded away.

"Roger that, Kim. I hope you can solve this sitch. Bye for now." With that, the kimmunicator's screen went black. Kim put it back in her pocket.

"So... what does that mean? I mean...if Drakken wasn't behind that Shego-drone... and he wants to meet us.." Ron said, searching for some kind of explanation. Kim and Will both frowned, deep in thought.

"Let's go back to the base", Will spoke up. "We'll call them from there."

"So you think we should meet them?" Kim asked.

"We'll see. It might be our only chance to solve this", Will responded. With that, they left the police station and took Will's assigned car back to the base. Apart from Rufus whining a bit about them missing their chance to get nacos, they rode in silence.

They had barely gotten back when they were met by Jack Hench, who had just arrived and gone through the various screenings.

"Will Du... and Kim Possible. I owe you for saving my company", he said, grinning. "Never expected Global Justice to do that."

"We were trying so make sure your staff was alright, nothing more", Kim threw back. Hench nodded.

"And, like I said, for that, you have my thanks. So, why did you bring me here?"

"Debriefing", Will said, glaring at Hench. "We need to know who's behind this, if you have any enemies, that sort of thing."

"But I thought Drakken was behind this?" Hench asked. "I mean, he has stolen from me before, and I know that was his sidekick you caught."

"We're working on it", Kim said, with a bit of an edge to her voice. If Drakken wasn't behind this, she wasn't sure anymore if she and Ron could help out.

"We would also appreciate it if you could help us figure out what type of device these culprits might be planning to use. You're an expert on super-villain weapons-"

"Experimental high-tech devices of defensive and/or aggressive nature, Agent Du", Hench interrupted Will with a sly grin. "My lawyers aren't going to like it if you imply anything else." Will sneered. He nodded slowly before calling the attention of another agent, who showed Hench to an interrogation room.

"So... should we call Drakken now?" Ron asked.

"We need to get our act together first, Ron", Kim said. "Do we meet them? Do we meet them here or someplace else? Do we even believe them?"

"Well... I mean, what would Drakken win from calling us? He probably didn't even know we were helping out here. And Dementor really didn't look like a prisoner or anything", Ron remarked.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing", Kim said.

"I had those thoughts as well", Will chimed in. " However, we can't meet them here without getting them through the scanners, and I'm not sure if we can get them to do that if they don't have a chance to get out."

"So we meet them somewhere, talk to them, convince them to come with us, make them go through the scanners, and then figure out what's going on", Kim said, pondering the sitch.

"Oh, oh, maybe someplace public, so they wouldn't think we would attack them?" Ron spoke up.

"Yeah... but somewhere we still had the advantage somehow", Kim added.  
"Someplace we know every nook and cranny", Will mused.

"Yet somewhere they wouldn't feel out of place either..." Kim finished. They fell silent, thinking about what place could fit that description.

"Nacooooooos!" Rufus squealed as he sat on Will's desk. Kim and Ron looked at each other.

"Good a place as any", Kim said, smiling. Both Ron and Rufus smiled at the prospect of finally getting some Bueno Nacho-food. Will looked a bit disgusted, but nodded anyway. They set up the call a few moments later. Nobody answered, but an answering machine started up. They immediately recognized Drakken's voice.

"Hello, you have reached Dr. Drakken... I said, you have reached Dr. Drakken..."

"And Shego." Shego seemed as bored as usual.

"And for zhe moment, zhe great PROFESSOR DEMENTOR!" The German villain spoke.

"At the moment, we are screening our phone calls-" Drakken said, but was interrupted.

"Don't you zhink it's rude to say zhat?" Dementor spoke.

"Never you mind! Anyway, leave a message, no rants, and we'll get back as soon as we can. Or if you're Kim Possible-"

"Teen mom!" Shego broke in.

"Just say when and where to meet, and we'll show up. You know, if we think it's ok and all that. Ciao! Should I say really end on 'ciao?' Does that make me seem-" BEEEP.

Kim quickly left a message, giving the villains three hours to meet them at Bueno Nacho.

* * *

Ron and Rufus happily ate their nacos, as if they had just walked through an endless desert with nothing to eat. Will was satisfied with his ice water. Kim had actually ordered a naco too, but Ron kept a close watch on her, in case she decided to put something... inexorably incompatible on it. Thankfully she hadn't.

The hour was fast approaching. They were almost wondering if the trio would show up at all, when the door suddenly opened.

"Well, well... If it isn't Kim Pregnated", Shego said, grinning from ear to ear.

"And look.. Shego-nna need a hospital if she makes any more cracks like that", Kim responded.

"Buffoon", Drakken said, a smirk on his face.

"Drakken", Ron responded. Drakken frowned.  
"That's not an insult, you buffoon!"

"Judges say: It is, Sorry, thanks for playing", Ron replied. Drakken clenched his teeth.

"I don't believe ve've met, I'm PROFESSOR DEMENTOR!" Dementor said, after sighing.

"Agent Will Du of Global Justice", Will responded. "Shall we take a seat?"

"Vith pleasure", Dementor responded.

A short conversation took place. Dementor confirmed that he had been attacked by someone posing as Shego, but since he had ended up with Drakken and Shego, he was sure they weren't behind it. Drakken and Shego, on their part, said they had no idea what was going on. In the end, they agreed to accompany Kim, Ron and Will to Global Justice to help out, Shego and Drakken to clear their names, Dementor to get revenge. The scanners didn't disturb them, even though Dementor had to pull Will aside to make sure a certain tattoo wouldn't be revealed to anyone.

They spent the next hour debating theories, inspecting evidence, narrowing the list of suspects. But in the end, they weren't getting any closer. Eventually, Drakken threw his hands up and admitted defeat, while the others rolled their eyes at his overacting. Rufus even told him to 'get it together'.

Kim looked down at the evidence. One of the problems she had earlier in the investigation was that she couldn't get too far into the mindset of a super-villain. But now, she had three of them here to ask...

"Let me ask you something", she started, looking at Drakken and Dementor. "If you ever planned something like this... would you attack another villain if they could possibly bring you down?" Drakken pondered her question.

"Not unless they were in direct opposition to me. Otherwise, why bother?" He answered.

"Ja, same here" Dementor said. "It's just to risky to do something like that for just a small chance zhat zhey might one day stand in your vay."

"Then why would they..." Kim said, almost muttering to herself. "Global Justice would be a threat to them, Hench is a wild card... Why WEE and Dementor? And why try to pin it on Drakken?"

"Maybe they doesn't like competition", Shego remarked. "Hell, maybe they just doesn't like them. Lord knows I could kick the crap out of some of them just for the heck of it. Present company included, of course." Drakken and Dementor squirmed a bit.

"What kind of villain would that be?" Will asked, starting to get frustrated. "Who hates villains but has no problems going after GJ? It doesn't make sense!"

"Maybe they just wanted GJ out of the way so they could take them on themselves?" Ron suggested. "Or maybe they're gaining something else from it? Something we're not thinking of?" Kim pondered her boyfriend's words.

"Will.. has there been any mysterious super-villain take-downs in the last few months that we don't know about? Maybe they started doing this before the attack on WEE?"

"That would make sense", Drakken spoke. "This thing is far to complex for anyone to plan and execute without... leaving tracks. When I did the diablo plot, it took weeks to take over Bueno Nacho and set up research and all that."

"And a lot of stealing to finance it", Shego added. Will however, shook his head.

"Except for Monkey Fist and Killigan... no. And you two took them down, we already know that." He sighed. Kim leaned forward.

"Maybe... maybe not", Ron suddenly said. The room focused on him. "I.. I mean sure, I took out Monkey Fist and Kim convinced Killigan to... take a break or whatever. But... there was something that connected them." Kim's eyes widened.

"Yeah... They both bought stolen goods, two different drugs. Dellocain and Endentin. One made Monkey Fist insane, the other would have made Killigan a murderer. And we never found out who stole the shipment in the first place."

"Vh... Vhat d-did you say zhe drugs vere called?" Dementor stammered.  
"Dellocain and Endentin. You've heard of them?" Kim asked.

"I... One of zhem vas a paralyzer, right? And zhe other some kind of steroid?"

"That's what they said to Killigan and Monkey Fist, anyway", Kim answered. Dementor swallowed.

"I vas offered to buy zhose drugs."The room fell silent. "I didn't vant zhem, though. I could make a paralyzer in five minutes and I don't vant anything to do vith steroids, so I said no. Mein Gott... I could have become insane or a murderer..."

"Damn it, man, who was the seller?" Will interrupted the German. Dementor covered his mouth.

"It... It vas Jack Hench", he said, turning a shade paler. The room was in shock. The gathered immediately started wildly debating, trying to make sense out of it, until Kim managed to grab everyone's attention by slamming her fist into the table.

"Ok, if what Dementor's saying is true... What would he gain from it? And why Dementor? Why Monkey Fist and Killigan?" Drakken answered her.

"There... have been rumors before... That he... 'creates' interest in his products by... taking out people who don't use his stuff or his henchmen. I don't, so... that might be why he's pinning the blame on me..."

"Monkey Fist and Killigan never used his stuff anyway...", Ron added.

"Und I have been using less and less of his devices ever since zhe molecular muscle enhancers turned out to run out of batteries faster than my old valkman. And I've been... somevhat vocal about it sometimes..." Dementor remarked.

"Ok, so, maybe he's got a grudge against you two. And sure, he could have attacked himself to throw off any suspicion. But why attack Global Justice, that's going too far!" Will exclaimed.

"Think about it, Will. If super-villains are under pressure, they buy more weapons. If GJ is seen as weak, they buy more weapons. He wins either way", Kim said. Will pondered.

"So Hench was the one who made a copy of me..." Shego said slowly. "When I get my hands on him-"

"Hnh! He's still here!" Rufus yelled suddenly. Will immediately went for his communicator.

"All agents, all agents! Code orange Jack Hench, repeat: Code orange Jack Hench!" He yelled into the communicator and got up. "You three, stay here. Kim, Ron, you're with me."

They walked fast through the corridors until they reached the room where Hench was supposed to be. They entered, and saw three agents surrounding Hench.

"What is the meaning of this, Du? If you're trying to take me on my lawyers will have you for breakfast!" He yelled.

"We'll see about that. Why did you sell the Endentin to Monkey Fist?" Will spat out.

"That... that was an honest transaction, I had no idea... What does that have to do with the attack on me?" Hench answered. Will didn't even have time to respond before Hench had been grabbed and slammed down on the table face first.

"You drove that bastard insane? It was you all along? I'm gonna rip your head off and-"

"Ron... Please calm down." Ron heard Kim's voice and felt her hand grab his shoulder. He let go of Hench slowly. He took Kim's hand and looked in her eyes. Kim was relieved to see the blue glow dissipate.

"Sorry, Kim. Got a little carried away." He looked back at Hench. "But we're not done yet, you and me", he spat at he CEO.

"I want my lawyer", Hench said, as calmly as he could muster.

"In due time. First, we're going to seize all your assets and all of HenchCo's assets", Will said. "And before you ask: Yes, I can."

Will turned around, and left the room along with Kim and Ron. When they got a few steps out, he turned and looked at them.

"On behalf of Global Justice... You have our thanks for your assistance in this crisis. I will make sure everyone knows how you helped us. And no, I won't even mention your... amateur status." He grinned at the last part.  
"So it's over?" Kim asked. "Can we go home now?" Will nodded.

"Go home. We'll take it from here. Hench is going down hard for this."

"Thanks, Will. I think you will do just fine", Ron said. Will shook Kim's and Ron's hands, then turned around and walked away to get the orders out. He had barely even taken three steps before Kim gave Ron a big kiss.

"So... Ready to go graduate?" She asked. He answered her with a kiss in return.


	7. Valedictorian

Tomo squirmed in his saddle

**Author's Note: Chapter seven! So, it was a bit to easy, was it?**

_Tomo squirmed in his saddle. He glanced over at Toshimiru, who rode next to him. His master and teacher smiled at him, expecting an answer._

"_Master… I don't want too seem impertinent, but… I have… my doubts about this." Tomo squirmed when Toshimiru's smile faded._

"_Tomo-san, I don't want to force the subject, but… You might not get a better offer than this. Perhaps you should think about it some more", Toshimiru said. Tomo sighed._

"_Master, as good as the offer is… I'm not sure your wife's niece would be a good match for me", Tomo said, a little embarrassed. Toshimiru frowned._

"_You don't know that until you've met her", he tried._

"_I'm pretty sure right now, actually", Tomo replied. Toshimiru's frown remained._

"_Is this because you have someone else in your sights or because I'm not making a good case?" He asked, thinking these were the only options._

"_Well..:" Tomo began, "in truth, it's because, as I have told you, I'm not looking to find a wife just yet, but… Your skills as a match maker could stand to be improved."_

"_What did I do wrong?" Toshimiru asked, hearing his student's words._

"_Well, for one thing, if you're trying to set up a seventeen-year old like me with a 25-year old like her… You might want to use other adjectives than just 'honourable', master", Tomo replied, and saw his master's surprise._

"_But Tomo-san, she is honourable! She comes from a very respectable family!" Toshimiru exclaimed._

"_Well, I'm sure she is, but she's also unmarried at 25, master. That tells me there are… flaws that her… honour might not necessarily make up for…" He trailed off. Toshimiru sighed._

"_Oh, Tomo-san…" He started. "You're absolutely right, my horse looks better than she does." The two monkey warriors shared a brief laugh after Tomo's shock had settled. "Still, you surely can't blame me for trying?" Toshimiru said eventually._

"_Surely not, master. But I hope that your skills at matchmaking have improved when the time comes for you to find a husband for you daughter", Tomo grinned. Toshimiru, on the other hand, looked… disturbed._

"_What do you mean by that, Tomo-san?" He asked._

"_Well, she is fifteen, isn't she? You should start to focus on finding a husband for her soon, right?" Tomo replied. Toshimiru's eyes darkened._

"_Is there a reason for us going from talking about finding a wife for you to finding a husband for my daughter, Tomo-san?" Tomo raised his eyebrows._

"_No. master, I was… I was just making conversation, hat's all." Tomo fell silent. He felt Toshimiru's gaze bore into him still. "I mean… I haven't even met your daughter!" he tried defensively._

"_You will in two days", Toshimiru replied curt. Tomo glanced over to one of the regular warriors that walked beside him. The warrior looked as if he was trying to hold back his laughter. No help there, Tomo thought. He sighed._

"_I didn't mean to imply… I'm just saying… You were the one who asked me if you were a good matchmaker!" He tried defensively. Toshimiru's haze softened._

"_I suppose you're right, Tomo-san", he said. Tomo breathed a sigh of relief. "I admit I'm a bit… defensive about that subject." Tomo looked surprised._

"_Master, you have always said that the biggest responsibility a father has is to find a suitable partner for your children, why are you… defensive?" Tomo said as Toshimiru smiled slightly._

"_Tomo-san… the day I find a good and honourable man for my daughter, or she finds one herself, will be a day when I cry tears of joy and sadness. But until that day, she is still my little girl", Toshimiru said. Tomo noted that a few of the warriors beside him nodded their heads in agreement. He shrugged. They rode on in silence until they reached a small hill. They were close. Toshimiru got off his horse._

"_Tomo-san and I will see what Dakken is up too. You others, wait here", he said, addressing the warriors. With that, he and Tomo went up the hill until they could gaze down on the other side. What they saw made Tomo's face pale._

"_And I thought my last days as a warrior would be easy", Toshimiru mused._

Ron felt a cool hand touch his cheek. He opened his eyes slowly and couldn't help but smile when he saw his girlfriend's face smiling back.

"I told you: you shouldn't eat that much", Kim said.

"Uhh… tell me about it. Is Rufus ok?" Ron asked. Kim glanced over.

"I'd say he's in a coma", she responded, with a smile. "But he's mumbling about parmesan in his sleep, so I don't think we have to get him on life support."

"Get me on life support, please!" Felix exclaimed, causing Ron to look over. "I think I might be slipping away and I'm too young to die!"

Overall, the dinner with Kim and Ron's extended families had gone well. Fortunately, Shawn couldn't come, unfortunately, Joss couldn't either. Both of them still had school to finish up, and since they were going to meet in July anyway, they had stayed at home, as had other younger family members. Monique and Felix had held up some of the quota for the younger demographic though. Kim and Ron thought it best for their families to get too meet the maid of honour and the best man ahead of time. Now, the four of them were up in Kim's room, letting the adults talk amongst themselves for a while.

"Felix, remember me in your will", Monique said. "Another piece of that lemon cake and I could use a robotic wheelchair to get me home." The others laughed at her statement, mostly because they pretty much felt the same way.

"Kim", Monique continued, "if you ever feel like trading Nanas for a day or two, let me know. That lasagne…"

"My mom made that one, but it is my Nana's recipe", Kim informed Monique.

"Could you get that recipe?" Felix tried. "I'll trade you anything! My mom is working on a robotic diaper-changer…"

"Take the offer, KP, it sounds good", Ron commented. Kim smiled.

"I didn't actually think I'd have to say this to anyone but the tweebs, but here goes: No robotics around the baby!" She turned to Felix. "And besides, Nana knows about my cooking skills. She's not letting me anywhere near her recipe book yet." Felix nodded in understanding.

"By the way, Kim… I was going to ask you earlier, but with that whole Global Justice thing you did… You know I'm the valedictorian, right?" He asked. Kim nodded. "Well.. I thought that maybe you would like to say a few words? I mean… You are the biggest celebrity at our school?" Kim smiled and seemed to ponder it.

"Thanks, for the offer, but… I don't think I could get anything prepared. I mean, we graduate tomorrow!" She replied.

"And you're not good at improvising?" Monique asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, you know I'm already working on my vows, and that's not until-"

"We're doing or own vows?" Ron asked, sitting up fast. Kim sighed.

"Yes, Ron, we are. I've told you, like five times", she said, looking a bit annoyed.

"No matter," Ron said, lying back down. "Because, you see, unlike my fair girlfriend, Ron Stoppable knows how to improvise. Hey, Felix, maybe I could get up there and say a few words?" Felix grinned.

"I don't know Ron… Are you sure that would be a good idea?"

"Sure I am! I'd get up there and rock the mike! And since I'm in a gown, nobody would see if my pants fall down!" The others chuckled. Ron frowned. "I'm serious! You know how the Ron-Man rolls! I'd get up there, drop a few truth bombs, get everyone excited about graduating. Cause Ron Stoppable tells it like it is and shoots straight from the hip!"

"Ron? The last time you shot from the hip, Kim here ended up in the family way, so maybe you shouldn't try that in front of an entire arena full of people", Monique commented, sending herself and Felix into a fit of laughter. Kim and Ron, on their end, couldn't stop blushing. When the laughter died down, Felix announced that was going to go see Zita, and Monique had to head home. They said good bye and left, still chuckling.

"Ron… about the vows?" Kim said, as soon as they were alone. "No improvising. Whatsoever." Ron grinned.

"Gotcha, KP. Just checking. But you know that means…

"And no help from Rufus either. Do it yourself" Kim said, anticipating his next few words, smiling as she talked. Ron nodded. The sat down on Kim's bed in silence.

"So… graduating tomorrow… Married in July… College in August… Baby in October… This looks like it's gonna be an interesting year", Ron said.

"Oh, that's an understatement, I think", Kim said, leaning in and giving Ron a kiss. "But you know we can do it." Ron nodded as he lay down on the bed again. Within a few moments, they had both fallen asleep from the heavy dinner.

The next day, they arrived at the arena in the evening. They took their seats and listened to Mr. Barkin get up and starting his speech.

In another part of Middleton, however, Will Du entered the cell currently occupied by Jack Hench. Will allowed himself a smirk. The investigation had given him all the proof he needed, and now… Hench said he was willing to talk.

"So… what did you want, Hench?" He asked. Hench looked up. He pondered.

"There are… things about this whole ordeal that you won't find in any of my files, Du. Stuff only I know", Hench said, slowly.

"Like what? We already have motive, evidence, pay roll, infiltration methods... What else is there?" Will asked. Hench smirked.

"Didn't it seem strange to you… That I'd go to these… extremes just to get people to buy my equipment and hire my henchmen?" Will pondered Hench's words.

"You went overboard, but we already know you did it, so…" He said, expecting an answer.

"What if I told you… there were other objectives?" Hench said Will's eyes narrowed.

"What do you want, Hench?" He asked. If there were others involved in this, it was his duty to find them all.

"Life in prison is off the table. I want the chance to get out someday. And some… creature comforts, if you will." Hench looked at Will, hoping his terms would be ok.

"It's up to the federal prosecutor to decide what punishment they'll be going for. I can get you the 'creature comforts' right now if you talk, though", Will replied. Hench considered. In another part of Middleton, Felix took the mike and spoke about hope for the future, and how everyone should expected the unexpected and relish every moment. Kim and Ron smiled to each other as they heard his words. Bonnie Rockwaller smirked as she saw the looks they were sending each other. Ron Reiger was falling fast asleep.

"I was hired to do these operations", Hench replied. "The possible gain to my sales was… secondary." Will blinked at his words.

"You'd take an assignment personally? Since when do you do that?" He asked.

"My family created the term 'henchman', Du. You don't think I haven't sold my services like this before?" Hench replied.

"So, what was the offer, then? They'd take over the world and you'd get Iceland?" Will asked.

"They weren't interested in taking over the world, but… With the technology they offered in return for my services… I could have done that myself", Hench said, looking a bit smug.

"So what did they want, then? And who are they?" Will asked.

At the Middleton High Arena, Felix had just finished his speech and the crowd was applauding him, when suddenly a dark shadow fell over the stage. Everyone looked up. They couldn't believe what they saw.

"They wanted to find someone. A person they believed they could only find if someone… provoked him into action. A champion, they called him. The Great Blue." Hench answered. Will's face turned white.

"The Great Blue… Hench, you bastard! You allied yourself with the-"

"The Lorwardians…" Kim said, almost whispering as the crowd started panicking. She looked over at Ron, who looked back at her. What could they do? Just then, the large spaceship started falling towards the stage. Realizing that Felix was right in its path, Ron leapt up and made his way to the stage. He managed to push the scared and startled Felix out of the way. He looked up at the ship.

"And I thought my last days as a high school student would be easy!" He said.


	8. The Great Blue emerges

"-The Lorwardians

**Author's note: Chapter Eight. It's on. It. Is. On.**

"-The Lorwardians!" Will ended his sentence yelling. He gritted his teeth. "Hench, unless you tell me everything right now I'll have you tried for treason against the planet!" Hench frowned. He knew Will couldn't really just create new laws like 'treason against the planet', but pointing that out wouldn't serve him right now. He looked at Will.

"As they told me… they came back sometime in April to study us and our defences. They were going to attack us. Take over the entire planet. Because Drakken deceived Warmonga and Kim Possible defeated her. Our entire planet would be overrun because of what two people did. Does that seem fair two you, Will?" Will frowned at Hench.

"Wars have been started for lesser things", he remarked. Hench nodded, but continued.

"At any rate, something happened. They picked up a trace of something they called 'blue energy'. According to them, that energy could only come from the one they called the Great Blue. But, as it turned out, they had caught it too late. They couldn't track this Great Blue. So they came to me."

"Because you are the world's greatest henchman, is that it?" Will seethed. Hench smirked.

"Like I said, it's right there in my name. Anyway… the source of the energy seemed to be somewhere in Indonesia. I investigated it and came up with three likely sources. On the one hand, there was some super-villain activity there" Hench started.  
"Monkey Fist and Duff Killigan", Will remarked. Hench nodded.

"And not only that, The Seniors were reported to be on a long cruise there. There were also a large number of Global Justice agents there, I assume, to retrieve Monkey Fist." Will nodded and motioned for Hench to go on. "And finally… Kim Possible and her sidekick were there. So, I've got three factions where someone could be the source. Then I created this scenario-"

"You mean your attack, Hench. Scenarios are theoretical", Will said, holding back not to punch the businessman out.

"…The… attacks… to draw whoever this Great Blue was. If he was a criminal, the attacks would scare him, if he was with you, he would be angered. Granted, I had to bring in Drakken as a suspect so that Kim Possible would get involved, but otherwise, it was pretty straightforward", Hench concluded.

"Did you succeed?" Will prodded on. Hench grinned and leaned forward.

"Not even an hour after the staged attack on myself… the Lorwardians contacted me. They had picked up a new trace of the blue energy, right here in this base and had a solid lock. They know who he... or she… is." Will stared at Hench.

"Before you even came to this base?" Will asked. Hench nodded.

Will lowered his head. Who? Who could it be? An energy source from within the Global Justice base? Without their knowledge? He closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened during those moments.

"_You've got... Monkey Fist... in a cell... here in Middleton? My HOME? MY GIRLFRIEND AND BABY'S HOME?!"__ A shade of blue flashing in his eyes._

Will looked up.

"Stoppable…" He whispered. Hench raised an eyebrow. He didn't have time to voice his disbelief, as Will grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into a wall.

"They've saved LIVES, Hench! They've saved YOU! And you sell them out to a bunch of war-happy aliens?" He threw Hench to the floor. Hench looked up at Will.

"It… It was one man, one person for the entire planet. They said they wouldn't do anything to the rest of us", he tried.

"And you believed them? A businessman of you statue didn't think that there might be ways for them to get out of a contract like that?"

"They… they called themselves a people of honour-"

"You said they were going to take our planet by force because of what two people did, does that seem honourable to you? And now, you've practically handed them either a weapon or a commanding general!" Will screamed at Hench. He stopped and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Yelling any more would only take up more time. He walked out of the cell and headed for the command center. If an attack was imminent, Global Justice would not be caught with their pants down again. And if Will Du could help, neither would Ron Stoppable.

Ron looked up at the massive spaceship. He thanked God that he had managed to push Felix out of the way, but seeing the ship and knowing who was inside made him lose a bit of his bravado. He stared back to the seats, and found Kim with his gaze. He didn't know if she would hear him if he yelled, because of all the commotion, but suddenly she smiled and nodded. Ron smiled as h heard her voice shout

"All right everyone, as calmly as you can, get out to the parking lot!" Her voice seemed to calm down a lot of students and teachers. As Ron looked up to the bleachers he saw Nana Possible taking charge just like Kim. He calmed down a bit.

"Rufus, you're up!" He shouted. After a few moments, Rufus popped out of the neck of Ron's gown. The naked mole rat surveyed the sitch.

"Hnk! Help Kim?" He asked. Ron shook his head.

"Kim can handle her end, but I'm not so sure about me!" He said. Rufus gave him the thumbs up to reassure him, but Ron still had his doubts. Even when Kim and Shego had worked together to take down Warmonga it hadn't exactly been a clear cut win. And how many of them were there on this ship? He looked out into the crowd again. Most of them had gotten out of the stadium. Kim was now standing on one of the bleachers. Figures that she wouldn't run, Ron thought. But thank God she's not on the stage at least.

Suddenly, the ship hissed and a door, working as a ramp, opened. Ron squinted, but soon saw two people in the doorway. Two massive people. Two scary large massive green people bulging with muscles upon muscles. Holding what looked like spears. Ron swallowed.

"I am Warmonga of the Lorwardians!" One of them, the… comparatively smaller, spoke up

"And I am Warhok, her mate", the other said. They began walking down the ramp. "And you… are the Great Blue." Ron stared at the larger, green man; and then looked around behind him.

"What… me?" He said.

"Yes. It is you", Warhok answered. "You, who are destined to lead us into glorious battles and great victories!" He leaned over to Warmonga. Ron thought he was trying to whisper, but… No being this large could ever accomplish a whisper. "You were right, my love. These are peculiar beings."

"Does that matter, Warhok?" Warmonga whispered…well… back. "When we bring him before the High Court and show those pesky Warfair and Warminista that we were right all along?" Warhok only grinned in reply.

"Hey, you… you green meanies, back on Blue here! I've got enough destinies going on right here, so you just forget about me coming along!" Ron yelled, trying not to stammer. He had said a lot of stupid things in his life, but that line could end up on his highlight reel.

"You will come with us", Warhok replied.

"Will not!" Ron countered.

"Will too."

"Will not. Infinity!" Ron finished, feeling sort of smug.

"Is that how long it takes for you to grasp simple facts or simply the amount of time your planet will live in pain because of your foolishness?" Warhok snarled back. Ron gulped. He knew that he wouldn't be able to hold off the fight any longer. He concentrated… And found himself holding the Lotus Blade in his hand. With a yell, he launched himself towards the Lorwardians.

_Toshimiru landed on the back of the great beast. Getting his footing back, he saw Tomo fighting Dakken's horde of walking dead, alongside the warriors who had joined his and Toshimiru's cause._

"_I have to hand it to you, Dakken", he called while he ducked the beast's head and tail, "I never thought you would actually find the last dragon."_

"_I trust you realize your mistake now, Monkey Man!" The shrivelled old man replied, before continuing his odd-sounding speech. Toshimiru had heard him use it once or twice before, but… Now it seemed like it actually served a purpose._

Warhok parried Ron's attack with seeming ease. He fired a few shots at Ron from his spear, obviously some kind of energy-shooting thing, but Ron managed to dodge them. He tried an attack on Warmonga, but she deflected him as well. A few more moments were spent this way, but neither could land a blow or a shot on their opponent.

"Not as impressive as I had thought", Warhok grumbled.

"Could say the same about you!" Ron retorted.

"Perhaps he needs a little… incentive?" Warmonga asked and looked over to where Kim still stood watching. Ron's eyes flared blue at the implication. Again, he leaped and landed on top of Warhok´s shoulders. He kicked the giant a in the head a few times, causing Warhok to fall over. When he did, a small device came loose from the belt. Without hesitation, Rufus leapt for it and managed to grab it before anyone else could. Rufus stared at it. It looked like some type of remote control with symbols that he had never seen before.

"Oh, the incentive…" Warmonga said, grinning. "When that remote leaves Warhok´s belt, a countdown starts."

"Countdown to what?" Ron asked.

"When the timer runs out… this ship will explode, and everything within a five mile radius will be gone with it, unless the proper code is punched in." Ron gasped at Warhok´s words.

"But…. But that would kill you too!" He protested.

"Teleporters. Never leave your world conquering armada without it", Warmonga replied. Rufus managed to toss the remote to Ron, who caught, who sadly had to let go of the Lotus Blade to hold it. The symbols didn't make sense to him either, and Warhok was rising to his feet again. Ron knew that whatever was going to happen, it was down to him.

"Rufus, hide somewhere!" He yelled, and Rufus reluctantly obeyed, running over to the side of the stage, hoping he could be useful later.

Ron could feel the mystical monkey power surging. He felt stronger now, maybe even strong enough to take down the both of them. But there was no time for that. He stared at the symbols, the power still surging within him. Suddenly… the symbols changed… He couldn't believe it when he saw that the strange alien symbols were now… normal letters.

_Toshimiru did as best as he could, but fighting a dragon while standing on it was a new feat for him. Dakken kept shouting in that strange language… it was a language? Toshimiru suddenly realized what it was. _

_It was the legendary dragon language he was hearing._

_It made sense; Dakken had spent a life time learning all about dragons, he would have learned that. He was using it to control the dragon! It was a shame that Toshimiru didn't understand it, he thought as he ducked another attack from the tail._

_And yet… there were words… suddenly Toshimiru heard words he could understand in the garbled speech… _

Ron avoided the blasts from the Lorwardians. For the life of him, he couldn't understand what was going on. The power was still surging, but more than it had at any other time he had used it. When he fought Monkey Fist, he had felt it, but it wasn't as strong as now. And he was only jumping around, it couldn't….

Could the power have anything to do with why he was suddenly able to read the symbols on the remote? When he glanced away from it and looked back, the symbols came back, but quickly changed into letters again, as if his eyes were adjusting themselves. Could he be using his powers to understand Lorwardian? He had never heard Sensei or Monkey Fist mention this.

Not that it did him any good anyway. He still didn't have the code, and He couldn't find time to think about it as long as Warhok and Warmonga were shooting at him. Angered, he launched into a leap again. At that moment, it came to him. Of course, he thought. That's the code!

T-H-E-P- He ducked out of another set of blasts. This wasn't working. He had to take one of them down, or get closer to them. They wouldn't risk shooting each other, would they? He leaped, and landed on Warhok again. This time, he focused on staying atop Warhok instead of taking him down. He managed to avoid Warhok´s punches quite well.

_Toshimiru didn't understand what was going on. Suddenly, he understood every word Dakken was shouting to the dragon. Deciding to go with it, Toshimiru started shouting at the dragon as well. The dragon, confused, stopped moving. Dakken yelled at it again, Toshimiru countered. Toshimiru grinned. If only he could stop Dakken from talking, this would end in a second._

R-O-P-E- Something stung him. He looked at his arm. His gown had been singed, and his arm with it. He saw Warmonga standing holding her energy spear, ginning in triumph. Damn it!

Kim, on her end, gasped as she saw Ron pause. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. When Ron used his powers, his movements reminded her of a monkey, but they way he was moving now was almost like he was a monkey made of mercury. Every move was fluid. And constantly that blue glow around him.

"Come on, Ron, you can do it", she whispered to herself.

Warmonga´s blasts were getting closer, that wasn't just a lucky shot. Warhok came closer to grabbing him with every attempt, even though Ron was practically dancing on the giant's back, shoulders and head. Ron's power usage was growing by the moment.

R-C-O-D- Another blast hit him. Ron wouldn't be able to get away much longer. If only he had Kim or… or anyone there who could take down Warmonga… Suddenly, a scream was heard. A woman's scream. Ron froze; thinking the worst, but when he looked over, Kim was fine. He looked over at Warmonga, who had fallen to the ground. Behind her stood…

_Dakken stopped talking. It looked like he was trying to speak, but no words came out. Toshimiru blinked._

"Mr. Barkin? What are you doing, get out of here!" Ron yelled to his teacher. Unbeknownst to the combatants, Barkin had been too paralyzed to move away from the stage, and now he stood there, victorious over Warmonga. With… A Blue glow… surrounding him.

"I- I can't!" Barkin replied, just as Ron punched in the last E. Ron stared at him. Barkin's eyes shimmered with the blue glow. Ron gasped. He turned and looked at Kim.

"Kim, I-" He said, and paused. The pause grew longer. Warmonga slowly got to her feet. Ron stretched out to his full length. He grinned.

_Toshimiru saw a blue glow surround Dakken. He had seen it many times. But Dakken couldn't be using the mystical monkey power, there was no way! And then he felt a darkness wash over him__. With his last few seconds of consciousness, he turned to Tomo._

"_Tomo-san, protect-" And then, Toshimiru grinned._

"Booyah. Ha. Ha. Haha." He said, no mirth in his tone, No big smile on his face, no happy eyes looking Kim's way.

"_Master?" Tomo asked, but what he saw wasn't his beloved teacher and warrior brother. It reminded him more of... A man possessed. Knowing not what to do, Tomo turned and ran._

Knowing not what to do, Kim stood, frozen.

"Oh, no", She whispered. "Ron?" But she knew… That was not Ron talking.


	9. Run

Tomo gazed at the building from the bushes he was hiding in

_Tomo gazed at the building from the bushes he was hiding in. No movements. No sounds. He sighed and sat down. He knew he would have to go in there eventually, but… He couldn't help but feeling ashamed of himself. To enter his master's home without his master… It felt wrong. Master Toshimiru should have been there with him._

_Tomo had run. He had run. His master was in some sort of… trouble, in danger, and Tomo had run. The thought of it made him almost sick to his stomach._

_Of course, he knew now that he had reason to run. Whatever had happened to Toshimiru wasn't contained to the field where they had faced Dakken and the dragon. Tomo had ridden for two days to get to Toshimiru's home, and every time he had come upon another person, he had seen the same things. The blue light in their eyes, the same light that he had seen in Toshimiru's eyes, as well as Dakken's eyes and the other warrior's eyes. All of them walking towards where Tomo had run from, as if they were possessed. Which they possibly were._

_To add to that… Tomo had realized that he could no longer feel the mystical monkey power within him. That scared him. If he couldn't feel the power, could the other brothers? Was there any left? Where had it gone? _

_In the end, Tomo had resolved himself to follow his master's last request. Something needed protection. Tomo was just unsure of what. If it was himself Toshimiru had referred to, he would have said 'help me' or at least 'help', not 'protect'. If it was Tomo he was referring to, he probably would have said 'run' or maybe 'defend yourself'._

_Tomo had searched his memory, but he couldn't remember any item or person that would need his protection. Except… Toshimiru's own family._

_So Tomo had ridden there. But now… He had found a house without signs of life. He pondered briefly if he should just leave, go to meet up with the other monkey warriors, but, he decided, no. He had to make sure._

_Stealthily, he entered the house of his teacher. Silently moving through the rooms, he could see that it had been abandoned. A broom lying on the floor, food left while being prepared. It seemed that Toshimiru's family had left to be with him. Tomo's heart sank._

_Suddenly, he felt a presence in the room with him. Before he could react, he felt something long making its way across his chest. When he looked down, he saw a sword, not unlike the Lotus Blade itself._

"_You made a bad choice to try to loot this house, fiend", a voice said. The voice of a… girl, Tomo realized. _

_Even though he could no longer use the monkey powers, he was still a skilled ninja. He managed to quickly duck under the sword and get a few steps away from his assailant before turning around. He was right; it was a girl, around fifteen or so. A… beautiful girl, Tomo thought, before catching himself._

"_I am not here to plunder or to loot. I am here by request of the master of the house", Tomo responded. The girl looked at him, looking a bit more nervous. She pointed the sword at him. "Who are you?" Tomo tried. The girl's mood seemed to shift again._

"_You come in here and ask questions of me? Who do you think you are?" She said. Tomo frowned.  
"My name is Tomo. I am Toshimiru's student", Tomo said, pausing. He didn't know if it was wise to explain what had happened just yet. The girl, however, looked at him astonished._

"_You know my father?_

Kim couldn't move. She had only felt this type of hopeless panic twice before in her life, the first when she was supposed to jump to the top of the pyramid in her last cheerleading practice, the other when Monkey Fist attacked her in April. Now it was back again as she watched Ron, the Lorwardians and Barkin on the stage.

She knew that she perhaps should call him Zorpox now, but… She couldn't. Not yet. That would mean she had truly given up, and she wasn't there yet.

Should she run? Should she go up to him? Would he do anything to her? She didn't want to believe that Ron would do anything to hurt her, but Zorpox was… Zorpox. Unpredictable. She watched as he turned towards her. He grinned, a malicious grin.

"Kimberly Ann…" He sneered, and she was surprised to hear him, even though he didn't yell. Then she realized that he was standing where the now destroyed podium had been, and the microphone was right at his feet. "I can seeeeee yoooooouuuuu", he taunted. Kim swallowed.

Just then, Ron began to convulse. He moved around, grabbing at his back. Suddenly, from the opening of the gown, Rufus popped out, and jumped straight onto Ron's face.

Kim ducked down behind the seats. She moved away from where she had been, closer to the exit. She paused at points to see what was going on. Rufus was climbing and distracting Ron as best as he could. Kim couldn't make out if Rufus was attacking or trying to get Ron to come to his senses. She hoped for the latter. Rufus could be quite vicious with those small claws if he needed to be, as many neighbourhood cats had come to realize.

Eventually, though, Ron managed to grab Rufus. Kim stared at them, hoping he wouldn't… Do something he'd regret for the rest of his life. She was relieved when he merely tossed the mole rat over to Barkin, who caught him surprisingly well. Barkin just held Rufus, it seemed.

Ron peered out across the arena again. Kim stayed hidden, and she saw his look of annoyance. As he turned to the Lorwardians again, she made a break for it and ran out through the exit.

As she got out, she kept running. She needed to get somewhere, to get some help. From whom, she didn't know. Global Justice was her first bet, but with the alien invasion as well as the attack a few days ago, they might be too busy… no, not too busy, that was harsh. Too occupied. Her back was killing her. She was not used to running with this extra weight on her. She slowed down. Yamanouchi, she thought. Those were the ones she needed to reach. But how? Wade was still at the hospital, but perhaps he could help her. Or maybe her parents would have some idea. She decided that she needed to get home. That's when she saw the crowd.

She couldn't have caught up with them this soon, could she? They ran in a panic a few minutes ago, there was no way she could have-

Blue energy glowing from their eyes. Kim gasped. They looked just like Barkin, cold expressionless faces staring straight ahead. Walking towards her. As they reached her, however, they didn't attack. They simply walked past her as if she wasn't there.

Kim's eyes watered as she saw them walk by. A few faces she recognized, someone from the same graduating class, someone's brother, someone who used to work at the ice cream shop. She tried to find one of her friends or family, and suddenly she saw one. Jim, her brother, was walking, with the same energy shining in his eyes.

"Jim! Over here! It's me, Kim!" She yelled. He didn't react. She made her way over, not an easy feat considering not one in the crowd was willing to budge. She managed to get along side him. How weird it was to see Jim without Tim at a time like this.

She managed to step out in front of him. But he didn't stop. She ended up walking backwards, trying to shake him out of whatever was going on. It didn't work.

"I'm sorry for this", she said, thinking of her last resort. She took a breath.

"JAMES ALAN POSSIBLE JUNIOR, YOU STOP RIGHT NOW!" She yelled, but Jim didn't even flinch. She felt hope leaving her as he walked past her.

She made her way out of the throng of people. As she watched them go by, she felt tears running down her face. What was going on? Was Ron doing this? How far did it spread? Just then, she felt as if she was being watched. She turned around.

"Kim Possible! How glad I am to see that you are ok!" A voice said before Kim could identify who stood in front of her.

"Y-Yori? Oh thank God you're here!" She ran over to Yori, and couldn't think of anything to do but to hug her. "Listen, something's going on with Ron, I need your help, I think it's something with his powers and-"

"I know, Possible-san, that is why I am here", Yori responded, detaching from the embrace.

"You knew this was gonna happen?" Kim asked, astounded.

"We knew that it could happen", Yori replied. "But not that it would happen today."

"Then… what's going on?" Kim asked. Yori looked a bit more stressed.  
"In due time, Possible-san. Right now, we need to get away from this place", she responded.

"Where are we going? I... I don't want to leave him like this without knowing I'm gonna come back", Kim said. Yori smiled.

"You will see him again, Possible-san. But right now, we need to get as far away as we can", Yori stated. She took Kim's hand, and began to walk away from the arena. Kim, however, did not take her last statement well.

"No… wait…" Kim said. "I can't leave him like this, I just can't." She turned and looked back. "Maybe I can talk to him… or… or we could find an attitudinator or something…"

"There's no time", Yori replied. "And it wouldn't do any good. Stoppable-san is out of reach for our help right now." Kim snatched back her hand.

"How can you say that? He… He needs my help!" She had made up her mind. Zorpox or not, she couldn't run. She turned around and began to walk back. Suddenly, she felt something hit the back of her neck. A dart. She turned around to see Yori walking toward her, holding a small blow pipe.

"I'm sorry, Possible-san, but you have to come with me."

"You… You drugged me?" Kim managed to say. Her vision was getting blurry.

"It will not harm you or your baby, I promise you", Yori said as she caught up with Kim and slid her arm around Kim's back. Kim was unconscious within a few seconds.

* * *

"You tell him!"

"No, YOU tell him!"

"He won't listen to me! He'll just try to argue with me!"

"As if he wouldn't argue with me!"

"Well... I'm not used to these situations! You have brothers!"

"You have an obnoxious cousin!"

"And how often do I talk to him?"

"How often to I talk to my brothers?"

"Nrrrgh!" Drakken sighed. It seemed like Shego wasn't going to help him on this. "You're the one who's used to dealing with criminal genii!"

"You mean you?"

"Yes!"

"And how often do you listen to me when I tell you you're being a pain?"

"Well… Never. But that's because you're wrong! You aren't now!"

"Look, I'm gonna say this one last time: He's your guest, not mine. Deal with him!" Shego spat out. Drakken frowned and sighed.

"Fine", he grumbled, and then turned around. "Oh, professor.

"Vhat is it? I'm trying to vatch MY STORIES!" Dementor replied from his seat.

"Well, um… I think that we should sit down and talk about you staying here…" Drakken tried, as diplomatically as he could.

"Drakken, I've already told you, as long as ve don't hear anyzhing from Global Justice, I zhink ve should stay together. And you invited me to stay. And I don't like it vhen people TRY TO TAKE BACK THEIR OFFERS!" Drakken frowned.

"Look here, Dementor, that was days ago! We don't even know if they're gonna call us back! And frankly, I'm getting fed up with you! And so is Shego!" Drakken yelled. Dementor looked at him, then over at Shego, who sneered and nodded.

"Fine. I shall go and pack my zhings. Maybe I can find someone else who is interested in my LATEST BRILLIANT PLOT TO TAKE OVER ZHE VORLD!"

"A plot?" Drakken said, suddenly interested.

"Oh, no you don't!" Shego exclaimed. "You're not fooling anyone. Out you go!"

Dementor grumbled as he walked to his guest room.

"Ha! Took care of that one!" Drakken exclaimed. "Did you see how I told him off there, Shego? Shego?"

Shego didn't answer. She stood still.

"I told him off? Off I told? Him? Dementor?" Drakken tried. Shego didn't move. A blue energy was seeping out of her eyes.

"Err… Shego? You're not… going critical or anything, are you? Shego? What's going on?" No response. Drakken heard a noise and turned around. Dementor was standing by the door, sans bags. Blue energy there as well.

"Dementor? What the… Did you do something to her?" Dementor began walking, without reacting. When he reached Shego, she joined him as they walked to the door.

"Hey… you guys… I'm serious! I want you to tell me what is going on this instant!" Drakken tried. "Did he offer you a better contract or something? Shego! Shego!"

The door opened and closed, leaving Drakken alone.

"Shego…" He said, sounding a bit more pathetic than usual. A few moments went by. A few minutes. He didn't know how much time passed. "Shego…?"

"She won't respond", a new voice said. Drakken turned in shock, and jumped in surprise when he saw who was there.

"Ahhh! Ninja! Shego, help! There's a ninja here!" He yelled

"Like I said… She won't respond", the ninja said slowly, then took off his face mask. Drakken looked surprised.

"I though ninjas weren't supposed to take off their masks", he said, nervously.

"Not usually. But I am not here to hurt you, Drakken-san. I'm here to ask for your help."

"My help? What would a ninja need help for?" Drakken asked.

"It is a long story, Drakken-san", the ninja replied. "My name is Hirotaka. And I need you to come with me."

* * *

In a cell deep below Middleton, a fog lifted in the mind of a defeated man. He was chained to a bed, he could feel it. He fought against his restraints to no avail.

"Where am I?" I demand to know where I am!" He yelled. No one responded. He lay still for a few minutes, trying to gather his thoughts. He found himself… scared for the first time in a long while. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know what had happened to him. He didn't know why he could feel the mystical monkey power anymore. He didn't know why he could… feel his feet. Suddenly, he heard a door open.

"Who is there? WHO IS THERE?" He yelled.

"There is no need to yell, Fiske-san. I hear you", a voice said. Monkey Fist's eyes went wide as he recognized the voice.

"Fukushima… I'm surprised to find you here. Are you my captor or my liberator?" The Englishman asked snidely.

"For the moment, your liberator. But… You might feel somewhat of a captive later on," Fukushima replied, starting to unbuckle the restraints.

"Do you know what is going on here? What happened to me?" Fist asked.  
"In due time, Fiske-san. Right now, we have to focus on getting you out of a highly guarded cell inside a Global Justice base and getting you as far away from Middleton as we can." Monkey Fist's eyes widened again.

"An easy task I'm sure, if you just let me-"

His feet. His… feet. They… they were…

"Wh…what… what have they done? Global Justice wouldn't-"

"As I understand it, it was a man named Duff Killigan who cut them off. You will learn more when we are safely out of here" Fukushima replied curtly.

"But… But how? I… I can't even walk. How are we supposed to escape from a Global Justice base like this?" Monkey Fist asked.

"I will carry you. Escaping the base will be quite easy, though the agents are… not themselves at the moment."

"Not themselves?" Monkey Fist repeated, trying to get over the shock.

"At the moment… no. Getting them back to normal will take some time and effort. That's why we've come for you" Fukushima said, as he lifted the English lord up.

"We?"

"Need you ask? The Yamanouchi school."

"I thought they kicked you out?" Monkey Fist asked.

"Some things… you can't get kicked out of", Fukushima replied, as he carried Monkey Fist out of the cell.

_"Aiko-san? We need to leave", Tomo said. Aiko turned and looked at him._

_"I… Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Aiko asked. "If my father comes back, we could…"_

_"I don't know what will happen if your father finds us", for more reason than one, Tomo added to himself. He blushed a little._

_"Where will we go?" Aiko asked, looking sad as she closed the door to her home._

_"The Order of the Chosen Monkey Warriors", Tomo replied. "They'll know what to do."_

_"And if they are also possessed? Like my mother and our servants?" Aiko asked. Tomo shrugged._

_"Then… I don't know. But I'm not leaving you behind. I made a promise." With that, he helped her get on his horse, and then got up himself. They rode away in silence._


	10. The Truth about Myths

Kim slowly opened her eyes

**Author's note: If you think I've gone heavy on the dialog before… You ain't seen nuthin yet. **

**This chapter marks a culmination of sorts. When the inspiration for it struck, along with a later chapter, I knew I had to turn Hard Yet Easy Choices and Shout it from the Bleachers into a series.**

**If you're reviewing it, I would appreciate it if you throw a line in about whether or not you find my... theory, for lack of a better word, viable, I thought about it A Whole Lot. And although I'm not yet done with all the explanations and all that, it would be nice too see at least some early reactions.**

**I'm going to hide behind a rock or something; because this… is gonna get interesting.**

Kim slowly opened her eyes. She felt just about as groggy as she ever had in her life. After quickly registering that she was sitting in a soft, comfortable recliner, her hands reflexively went to her belly. She nervously stroked it a few times. After a moment or two, she felt the baby move. She relaxed a bit. The baby's movements weren't strong enough to be noticed by anyone else, but when Kim first started feeling it, she became overjoyed by it. Now, it had a calming effect on her instead.

"Possible-San, how are you feeling?" Yori's voice cut through the silence. Kim leaned her head over and saw Yori sitting in the seat next to her. Kim also noted that she seemed to be sitting inside an airplane.

"I'm pregnant and I was drugged. I've felt better", Kim replied, groaning a little. Yori looked appropriately ashamed.

"Again, I apologize for what I did. It was imperative that you came with me, and I didn't know what else to do", she said. Kim scratched her neck.

"So… where are we going?" She asked.

"We are headed eastward. That is all I know", Yori replied.

"You mean California?" Kim asked. Yori shook her head. Kim turned and looked through the window. Water. Lot's of it. "You… You're taking me out of the country?"

Yori shrugged. She hadn't been informed of this part of the mission. Fortunately, she saw Sensei walking down the isle.

"Possible-san", he said as he approached. He handed Kim a bottle of water. "It is a pleasure to see you again." He gazed at her belly for a moment. "Both of you", he added.

"Sensei…" Kim said, as she drank her water. She felt a little less woozy. "What's going on with Ron? And why did you kidnap me?"

"I will explain everything to the best of my abilities, Possible-san, as soon as you have recuperated enough to-" Sensei said, but Kim stood up, cutting him off. She wobbled a little but regained her balance quickly.

"My fiancée's turned into a super-villain, my brother, maybe my whole family, maybe my entire hometown is acting like they're zombies and I've been kidnapped by ninjas. I'm a scared, angry and pregnant woman. You will tell me what's going on right now." Kim's voice was cold, not quite masking the anger that was starting to brew within her. Sensei nodded slowly.

"Very well, if you both will accompany me to the conference room" he said, and turned around. A conference room on a plane, Kim thought. Must be a private jet or something. Yamanouchi must have some deep pockets.

They entered the conference room. Kim noticed that two of the chairs were already taken. When she saw who was sitting in them, her anger began to grow again. Yori grabbed her arm in case she would try anything.

In one chair sat Dr. Drakken. He waved at Kim nervously. He was relieved to see a familiar face. Being on a plane filled with ninjas didn't exactly do any wonders for his nerves.

In the other chair, though, sat… Monkey Fist. The Englishman gaped and stared at Kim, his eyes glued at her belly.

"What… is he doing here?" Kim said, clenching her teeth.

"Well, there was this ninja who came and said-" Drakken started.  
"Not you, him! What is he doing here?" Kim interrupted him. Sensei sat down next to Monkey Fist, so that Kim wouldn't have to. Instead, she sat down next to Drakken, with Yori taking the seat next to her. "Do you know what he tried to do to me? To Ron?"

"I do", Sensei said. "And so does he, now. The Endentin he took made his memories of the event a bit hazy. Will you be able to set aside your rightful anger towards him for now?"

Kim stared at Sensei, then more angrily at Fiske. Ron had almost attacked Will when he learned that Monkey Fist was in the base. He had attacked Hench when he learned of his involvement.

"I trust him as far as I can throw a bus, and I don't want him here. But Ron trusts you, Sensei, so I will too", she said, still glaring at Fiske. Sensei nodded and bowed his head slightly at her words.

Monkey Fist avoided Kim's gaze. It seemed like he didn't want to be reminded any more of his gross mistake or his behaviour. While he knew that he would have taken any measure to defeat Ron Stoppable, being told that he had threatened to murder a pregnant woman made him feel… uncomfortable. Would he have done the same if he had been sane, he had spent the last few hours pondering. He hadn't reached an honest answer yet. Kim sneered at him while Sensei picked up a remote control from the table and directed their attention to a large plasma screen monitor.

The screen showed a recording of what had happened at the graduation ceremony. Ron fighting the Lorwardians, Barkin's sudden assistance and… Zorpox' emergence. Kim watched as Drakken and Monkey Fist looked on in stunned silence. The recording stopped.

"He… He's never been that good before", Drakken said, still stunned by what he had seen.

"Indeed", Monkey Fist said slowly. "Usually he gets by on dumb luck."

"Dumb skill", Kim remarked with a bitter edge to her voice.. "So what's going on?" She directed her question to Sensei.

"What you see… Is the complete manifestation of the Mystical Monkey Power." The room fell silent until Fiske spoke up.

"The Mystical Monkey Power can't have anything to do with this! It must have been the aliens, or some other technology!"

"Well, there was that attitudinator business", Drakken remarked. Sensei shook his head.

"I realize that you are confused, Fiske-san. But it is as I said. Stoppable-san has displayed the full use of the monkey powers for the first time since the 4th century." Fist still looked uncertain.

"How does it work?" Kim asked. The room looked inquisitively at her. "I mean… The powers. What do they do to him?"

"The power gives you full knowledge and mastery of Tai Shing Pek Kwar. The one who masters it will become the supreme monkey ruler." Fiske's response was a well rehearsed one. When you rant to monkeys, some phrases tend to stick. Kim was silent.

"That's it?" She asked. Monkey Fist raised his eyebrows. Wasn't that impressive enough? "He steps into a magic circle and learns Monkey Kung Fu? And some vague thing about ruling monkeys?" She shook her head. "I'm glad I never got too far into this monkey thing."

"The powers are incredible!" Fist said a bit too forceful. Kim glared at him, making him shrink back a bit.

"I know 17 types of Kung Fu, and I didn't need any jade statues to learn them. And you were already a master at Monkey Kung Fu." Monkey Fist looked a bit stumped.

"With the powers I would become the ultimate monkey master, peerless in my mastery", he countered.

"You really like to say 'monkey', don't you?" Drakken said, under his breath. He was a bit out of touch in this discussion so sarcastic commentary was the best he could do.

"Possible-san is right", Sensei remarked suddenly. "The powers are not limited to a heightened physical prowess. The key to understand the powers lie not in Tai Shing Pek Kwar, but in the two phrases you mentioned, Fiske-san. Supreme Monkey Ruler and Ultimate Monkey Master."

"Complete mastery of all monkeys", Yori said softly. Monkey Fist rolled his eyes.

"I had monkey ninjas! I had the power!" He exclaimed.

"You had trained monkeys, Fiske-san." Sensei said. "That is only… partial mastery. And…" He paused. "The word monkey incorporates more varieties that simply those with fur and tails." The room fell silent again.

"You mean… humans too?" Kim asked, her face now pale. Drakken's had turned a shade lighter as well. "Supreme Monkey Ruler… That's what it means, right?"

"Preposterous!" Fiske said. "If that's what it meant, they would have called it Mystical Human Power!"

"I know it's dumb to bring science to magic, but…", Drakken intervened. He saw how Kim was becoming more and more fed up with Fiske. "We didn't know that humans and monkeys were related until Darwin introduced the theory in the 1800s. How would they have known in the… What was it, the 4th century?" Sensei smiled a bit.

"Like I said… this isn't the first time this has happened. When this happened to Toshimiru, the man who built the Yamanouchi school, it was plain for them too see that the power extended to both monkeys as well as humans. At the school, we have known this ever since. They named wasn't changed because if they had called it Mystical Human Power, it would have attracted a lot more attention."

"Let's say… for the moment… that the powers works as you say", Monkey Fist interjected. "How does that explain the physical powers?" Kim frowned. He was right.

"Is not Ron Stoppable human? Is he not a monkey?" Sensei asked. Kim couldn't help but grin a little. If Ron had heard that…

"So… he becomes the master of himself as well as the rest of humanity?" She said. Sensei nodded.

"This also explains why he was able to crack the Lorwardians' code. He masters not only his physical being, but his intellectual being as well."

Kim's eyes widened. Her jaw fell. She wasn't prepared for that.

"Are you saying that… that the powers make him smarter?" She asked, her voice betraying her insecurity. Sensei nodded. Kim looked away. "Is this… is this the first time he has used his powers that way? I mean… I know he's used the powers for fighting before, but…"

"We believe that it is not the first time. In fact, we believe he has used both the mental and the physical powers subconsciously ever since he received them."

"But… wouldn't he know? Wouldn't I have seen it?" Kim tried. Sensei sighed.

"I know it must come as a shock to you, but it is only when he consciously uses them that he is aware of them, and it is only then it can be observed by others."

"Hold up… You're saying that the buffoon is a genius because of the powers?" Drakken suddenly asked. He grinned. "I knew it! I knew he couldn't come up with Zorpox' inventions by himself!"

"Hold on", Monkey Fist said, desperately trying to get a grasp of what was being said. "How do you know that? I'll give you that Toshimiru was a master at the physical arts, and, if it is as you say, that he… somehow gained control of all of humanity, but I have never read that he was intellectually gifted." Sensei took a breath.

"It may come as a shock for you, Fiske-san, and for you as well, Yori, when I tell you this. The Lotus Blade is not a magical weapon. There is no magic coursing through it. Toshimiru made it as it is by himself." Sensei words caused both Yori and Monkey Fist's jaws to fall. Kim didn't know much about the Lotus Blade, but she hadn't seen it as much as they had.

"But… but that's impossible!" Yori managed to say. Sensei shrugged and looked at Drakken.

"Drakken-san, if I asked you to construct a weapon that could change shape, as well as obey the commands of only a certain type of people… Could you construct it?" Drakken frowned at Sensei's words.  
"I… I don't know… Maybe with some nano-thingamajigs… and some mind-stuff… But… wasn't he alive in the 4th century? He couldn't have-"

"You have created many devices that seem beyond the realm of contemporary science, have you not?" Sensei asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, but… I'm a real genius. If he was just some amateur with bursts of genius… The technology available to him… There's no way."

"And yet, he did", Sensei replied.

"How did the Lorwardians know about him?" Kim suddenly asked. She wanted to get away from this subject. "And how did you know that this was going to happen?" Sensei gazed at her with a gentle look.

"At the time Toshimiru went through the change as Stoppable-san now has, there were signs appearing all over Japan. Burn markings in the fields and the plains. I do not know if you have noticed this, but the same markings have appeared all over the world in the last week. We didn't know until today that they were because of the Lorwardians, but… Crop circles and the likes have long been attributed to aliens, rather than magic, so I suppose that counts as some form of confirmation" Sensei answered.

"The Lorwardians saw Toshimiru… they built the myth about the Great Blue around him… And then they found Ron", Kim said softly. An army of over six billion soldiers directly controlled by one man. She shuddered. No wonder the Lorwardians wanted him. "And then… was this how Toshimiru became… Supreme Monkey Ruler too? Getting provoked into using them?"

"We do not know much about how it happened, but… If the Lorwardians saw it happen the first time, they know more than we. Toshimiru… felt so ashamed of his actions that he ordered that nothing would be written about the events that took place. The event was the reason why the Order of the Chosen Monkey Warriors dissolved, why the jade statues were hidden. The potential for misuse, even among their own ranks, was too great", Sensei responded.

"How long do we have until Stoppable-san has taken over the world altogether, Sensei?" Yori asked. Sensei sighed softly. He looked at the assembled.

"That time has come and gone. Stoppable-san now has the world in his hand:" His voice turned grave. Eyes widened all around.

"But… but we're all here!" Kim said. "Why hasn't he taken over us?" Sensei looked at them again.

"There are some who can not be controlled by him. Those who already possessed the power, like Fiske-san." Monkey Fist grinned a little at Sensei words. "And Drakken-san", Sensei continued.

"Wait, what? I don't have anything to do with any monkey powers! That's the hairy freak's thing!" Drakken protested.

"Oh, mocking the hair, are we? That's rich, coming from the poster boy for male pattern baldness", Fiske retorted.

"I AM NOT BALD!" Drakken responded. "I just have a high hairline, that's all! And if this pony tail isn't hair, I don't know what it is!"

"It's what you're gonna use to comb over that bald, blue head you'll have soon enough", Fiske mused. Drakken could only grumble in response. Sensei took a breath. Children…

"Drakken-san… how did your skin turn blue?" He asked. Drakken shrugged.

"It was when I was in college. I was doing a semester in the geology department, for some reason. They had found some rock, I drilled a whole in it, and then I fainted. When I woke up, my skin was all blue. They said that the stone dust had bonded to my skin or some such, I didn't really care since they said they couldn't remove it without removing my skin altogether. That's it. Not that funny or strange really", Drakken concluded. Sensei nodded.

"That stone you experimented on had been touched by a small amount of the Mystical Monkey Power. Not enough to give physical powers or mastery of all monkeys, but only the mental side of it" Sensei said calmly. Drakken frowned.

"Wait… Hold on… Are you saying that…? That I got my scientific genius from… magic?" Sensei nodded, somewhat bemused, at Drakken's words. Drakken couldn't even respond, he was so shocked. Sensei looked at Yori.

"Yori… what I am about to tell you is only known by a few. Hirotaka doesn't know, Fukushima doesn't know… Your mother doesn't know." Yori's eyes widened. "Stoppable-san once asked me if the Yamanouchi School was a private secret ninja school or a public secret ninja school. Although I did not respond to his question, it was a valid one. You see… the Yamanouchi School is only open to a select few. To those", Sensei paused, "who not only possess the physical and mental skills to become a ninja, but who also descend from the original monkey warriors. Because their ancestors were, like Monkey Fist, touched by the powers, they are also immune to Stoppable-san's mastery."

"Wait, wait…" Drakken said. Something scientific was being discussed and he saw a chance to get his mind of what he had just been told. "So because your" he pointed at Sensei and Yori, "ancestors were monkey-power-touched, you are immune too?" Sensei nodded. "But… if I get some… disease or something, then get well, then have children, that doesn't mean my children will be immune! Genetics do not work that way!"

"That's why we call it Mystical Monkey Power and not Scientifically Explainable Monkey Power", Sensei responded. Drakken rolled his eyes.

"What about me?" Kim suddenly said. "I saw my brother Jim. He was… Ron was… He wasn't himself. And if I'm immune, Jim would be too. And my mom or my dad, and Tim and… and maybe my Nana and uncle Slim if it was on my dad's side..:"

"You are correct in your analysis, Possible-san. But it is not you who have been touched by the monkey power" Sensei said softly Kim's eyes widened.

"You mean…" She started.

"You are not a descendant from a Monkey Warrior… but she is. And just like your immune system protects her, her inheritance protects you."

"I protect her and she protects me…" Kim said softly and smiled a little. Then her face turned sad again.

"Why did he become… evil then? How did… Zorpox take over?" She asked.

"With magic come consequences. When he uses his physical powers consciously, he becomes more violent. When he uses his intellectual powers, he becomes more evil. And when he uses his mastery of monkeys… he becomes a megalomaniac." Sensei stopped. "Just as your powers drive you towards violence, Fiske-san. And your powers drive you towards evil, Drakken-san."

"I'm still not convinced about that whole thing", Drakken mumbled.

"So… what do we do now?" Kim asked, still looking sad.

"For now… We hide", Sensei replied.

"Where? I mean… Ron's got the whole world in his grasp, where could we hide?" She tried.

_The debate had raged__ for an hour. The gathered monkey warriors had not yet been able to make sense of what was going on. They had no plan of attack, no solution to the problem. No one knew what to make of Toshimiru's behaviour._

_Tomo sighed. While everyone's voice would be heard when the brotherhood gathered, he felt out of place. He had spoken about what he had seen and lived through, but his knowledge of these types of tactics was not as high as the others'. Plu__s, he couldn't help but wonder how Aiko was doing. She hadn't been allowed into the meeting, and was now sitting alone outside. They had ridden far together to get here, and now he felt… no, he WAS responsible for her well-being. Finally, a voice, belonging to the revered master Kinjo, spoke._

"_I find that for the moment we have no choice but to hide. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with this island. Does anyone have a suggestion for a location?" The room broke out in a debate again. No consensus. Tomo thought about it. This island was his home. He had travelled across it for two years now along with Toshimiru. There must be some place…_

"_Excuse me", he said. The brothers did not stop their debate. "I __said; EXCUSE ME, my revered brothers." The others stopped. This was the first time Tomo had taken a place in the debate other than as a witness._

"_I know a place. It is covered with vegetation, so we can stay hidden. We will have the high ground as well. It is also remote, so Toshimiru wouldn't think of it for some time. In fact, I know he has never visited the place. But I have. I grew up there. I know it like the back of my hand."_

"_What place are you talking about, Tomo-san?" Kinjo asked slowly. Tomo swallowed._

"_Mount Yamanouchi, master", Tomo responded. Kinjo nodded, but Aoyama-san, another warrior shook his head._

"_I have been to Mount Yamanouchi, and it is like Tomo-san describes. But it is so highly overgrown that there is no way that we could ride our horses up it." The other gazed back at Tomo, who felt… strangely light-headed._

"_Then it will be our __honor to walk", he replied, not really knowing where he got the strength to say it._

"To the last place Stoppable-san would ever look", Sensei replied.

"Yamanouchi?" Monkey Fist asked, eyebrows raised.

"That would be the first place he would look", Sensei responded. "We are going to a place called…Kerguelen."


	11. Kim Consolable

**Author's note: Man, I finally broke 100 reviews with the last chapter! Thanks to everyone who has taken their time to review it, you guys are the best!**

If there was a place on Earth that was as far away from Middleton, Colorado as you could get, Kerguelen would be it. Located, as it was, in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, the closest land mass was Antarctica, and the island, or rather archipelago, had almost an equal distance to the South Pole as it did to Africa to the west and Australia to the east, and even longer to India in the north. Normally, a team of 50 to 100 French scientists lived on the cold and rocky island, but Sensei explained that when the events seemed to point to the Lorwardians' arrival, he had pulled few strings and gotten them evacuated. In short, if there ever was a place that could hold the title of "Loneliest place on Earth", Kerguelen would be in the top five, maybe even the number one spot. Perhaps it was fitting that the English name for it was Desolation Island.

Now, however, the place was positively booming, Kim thought as she stepped off the plane. Sensei had explained how this place had been chosen as a refuge long ago, and when Ron and Monkey Fist had gained the Mystical Monkey Power, the preparations had started. A landing strip, a small dock and several houses had been built in anticipation of one of them turning into the Supreme Monkey Ruler.

"How many are there?" Drakken asked, breaking the silence as they walked to the settlement.

"25 913", Sensei said calmly. "The last free humans anywhere." Drakken frowned.

"I'm not an expert, but… shouldn't there be more? I mean… if you start with 50 monkey warriors, 1600 years later, you should have more descendants than 25 000." Sensei nodded.

"Some family lines have died out, but the most damage was probably done by the notion they had to only marry someone in one of the other families. If they hadn't done that… We would be a population the size of a small country."

Kim looked at the people. Not surprisingly, everyone there seemed to be Japanese. What made a bigger impression on her, however, was how sad everyone seemed. It took her a while too realize why.

Everywhere she looked, she saw mostly partial families. A mother consoling her children, a father doing the same for his. The other parents or wives, husbands, girlfriends and boyfriends weren't there. Because they weren't descendants. She shivered a bit. If this had happened after Kim had given birth…

"How long can we stay here?" She asked, softly.

"As long as we need to", Sensei replied. "Although… I do not see us lasting longer than October." Kim looked at him sadly.

"Because that's when I give birth, right?" Sensei nodded softly. "Will he find me when I do?"

"Your mind will shine out like Venus on a dark night", Sensei said.

"I…. If you have to take me away from here before that happens, I'll be ok with it", she said softly.

"It is not my intention to abandon you, Possible-san", Sensei replied. "And," he added, "I hope that we can end this before it comes to that."

Kim was given a small cabin to stay in, together with Yori. It wasn't much better than a shed, but at least it kept the wind out. Right now, the elderly, the sick and the young were the only ones guaranteed that respite. Most of these types of cabins hadn't been set up yet, and those who didn't need it straight away had to settle for tents. Good tents, sure, the larger ones even had small wood-burning stoves in them, but considering that Kerguelen was about on the same level as Alaska, temperature-wise… And that, since this was the southern hemisphere, it was now winter… Most were hoping to get the cabins up within hours rather than days. As it turned out, it only took about two days before that happened, to the great relief of everyone.

A week went by. Kim spent it in the cabin, either reading or just… pondering the sitch she now found herself in. It weighed heavily on her, to say the least. After the first few days, she managed not to cry herself to sleep, but… her mood didn't improve. She supposed some of it could be her hormones playing tricks on her, or at least, that it had something to do with it.

When a week had gone by, Sensei paid her a visit.

"I apologize for not visiting you sooner, Possible-san, but, as you can imagine, there were many problems that needed attention this first week" he said, sitting down at the table. An assistant Kim hadn't seen before came in with him, placed a kettle of tea and two cups on the table and left shortly.

"It's fine, it's ok", Kim said as Sensei poured her a cup. "And I gotta say, this whole place is really… I mean… You got it in shape really fast!" Sensei gave her an approving nod.

"Thank you for you kind words. As I said, this has been planned for a long time, so most of it came together quite seamlessly, but there are always some issues." He leaned in and took a sip of his tea. "Though I must say that I'm surprised that you haven't come to see me yet. I imagined that you would have many questions for me."

Kim shrugged at his words a bit. She had become a bit of a recluse these past few days, but she had her reasons.

"I… I guess I just needed a couple of days to… I don't know, to calm down or something. No big", she responded.

"Yori tells me that you have scarcely left this cabin at all", Sensei noted. Kim sighed. Always go into battle prepared, she thought. Sensei knew what he was doing. She was silent for a moment.

"Well… partly, it's the cold; I don't wanna stay out any longer than I have to. Plus, I don't really know anyone here besides you and Yori, so I don't have anyone to go and talk to…" She paused. "And then there's… I guess you've told everyone about… Ron?" Sensei nodded. Kim sighed. "I could have guessed. When I do walk out… it feels like… Like everyone's watching me a bit too close for comfort."

"Everyone here knows what happened, but no one blames you, Possible-san. No one even blames Stoppable-san. They know this isn't his fault." Sensei said softly.

"That's not what it feels like", Kim said sullenly. A small smile played on her face. "Anyway, so not the drama. At least now I know I wouldn't be a good super-villain. I mean, if people looked at you like that…"

"I don't think anyone was afraid of that", Sensei said with a smile. They sat in silence for a moment until he spoke again. "All the same… why haven't you come to talk to me?"

Kim looked away. Of course she wanted to find out more about what was going on with Ron, but… She sighed.

"I guess… I guess I'm just tired of life-altering revelations, Sensei. It's been… a not so good two weeks for that." Sensei raised an eyebrow and prompted her to go on. She swallowed. "Did… did Ron ever tell you about… How... You know… How I ended up pregnant?"

Sensei shook his head. He had been a teacher for many years now, and even at Yamanouchi, famed for its disciplined students, he had seen his share of this type of situations. No matter how much they were taught about mental strength and peace of mind, some students would always fall prey to their teenage hormones. He had assumed that something like that was the reason behind Kim's pregnancy.

He was, therefore, surprised when Kim told him the story. How Killigan had attempted to destroy the Ice Golf Course in northern Sweden. How Ron and Kim had intervened, only for Ron to get poisoned with a drug called Dellocain. A drug that would have destroyed his nervous system and left him dead.

When Sensei heard the next part, he couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow for the young girl… woman in front of him. The cure had been, she said, to, in a way, overload his nervous system, to stimulate enough nerves as Wade had said, which would stop the effects. And the only two ways to do that, in the small amount of time she had… was either to injure him in some way, or…to have sex with him. She chose the latter. Considering that the only other person that she knew had been poisoned by Dellocain, Monkey Fist, had lost both of his feet so that he could be cured… It wasn't much of a choice.

She had taken a morning-after pill, she said, but it hadn't worked. And when the morning sickness started to strike, she had taken another test. It was positive. After a couple of intense conversations, with a doctor she knew as well as her parents, she had talked to Ron. And in the end… they had decided to keep it. She smiled when she said this, and Sensei could see she was still happy about the decision.

But then, bit by bit, they learned more details. It turned out that Killigan didn't even know what the Dellocain would do, or at least, not that if would kill him. He had been tricked by the ones who sold it to him. And just a few days ago, Kim said, they had learned that it had been Jack Hench who was behind it. In making Killigan a murderer, which would end with the Scotsman behind bars, he could convince people only to buy from their trusted deliverer of villainous weaponry instead of other, lesser known suppliers. She could see the slogan, she said. 'Don't be a Duff. Buy HenchCo.'

"I don't regret doing what I had to do to save Ron. And I don't regret the decision to have the baby", Kim said, running her hands across her belly. "But at the same time… it happened because of two insane and greedy men who couldn't think of anyone but themselves. And then all of this…" She gestured to the room. Sensei nodded. "I mean… I don't wanna be all sad and stuff, but…"

"Possible-san, no one has the right to tell you how you should feel. You have done more for this world than anyone here or in you midst. Your feelings are understandable." Sensei paused. "If you wish to ask your questions later-"

"No, I… I don't want to just sit here anymore. I want to know what's going on", Kim said, interrupting Sensei. He nodded and waited for her question. "Was… was this always going to happen? I mean… him turning evil?" Sensei nodded, sadly.

"There is a prophecy regarding who would be the Ultimate Monkey Master. It speaks of Stoppable-san directly."

"But… I mean… what you said about the powers turning him evil…" Kim tried. Sensei took the hint.

"It seems that this time, it was the last power that drove him over the edge, so to speak. When Toshimiru manifested the same power, it had the same results. It seems to be inevitable that when someone gains mastery over all monkeys like that, their minds turn immediately."

"So… if the Lorwardians hadn't done that…" Kim connected it. Then she sighed. "What about his other powers, then? How long did he have before those drove him evil?"

"Difficult to say, Possible-san", Sensei responded. "First of all, it depends on how often he uses them, if he hadn't used them at all… probably never. Secondly, it depends on how and why he uses them." Kim didn't understand, and it showed.

"How and why? What do you mean?" She asked.

"There are three ways of using the Mystical Monkey Power", Sensei said. "Firstly, there is the subconscious level. When faced with, say, certain death, or any fight-or-flight scenario, as they say these days, the power kicks in. But that doesn't affect his mind; it is merely a self-defensive mechanism that is neither good nor bad." He took a breath.

"The second way is what leads to evil. When he is angry of violent, the physical powers are easier to wield. The same goes for when he has evil thoughts; those make it easier to wield the mental powers. It becomes a vicious circle; evil thoughts lead to deeds made with evil intent which leads to an evil mind, which leads to more evil thoughts and so on." Kim sighed.

"When… when he fought Monkey Fist… and when he almost punched out Hench… He was really angry", she said, shuddering.

"It would take more than just those examples", Sensei said. "In any case, since he has used the first way the most, I do not believe his mind to be in any other danger…yet." He took a sip of tea. Kim did the same.

"The third way is the way of the monkey warriors. They found that when they had a singular purpose for using their powers, a singular, unselfish, pure motive for using the power, they were not as badly affected. Combined with meditation and not relying on their powers, most of them led long lives without becoming evil. It all depended on why they wanted to use their power. It wasn't as easy to control the power, but it was a risk they were willing to take."

"Most?" Kim asked, a little worried.

"The first monkey warriors didn't have the knowledge. Others, who used it too much, found themselves having darker and darker thoughts as they grew older. But when they had devised rules, meditative techniques and, in short, a philosophy surrounding it… they could use their powers without turning evil. It was this way I had intended to teach Stoppable-san."

"Why didn't you?" Kim asked. "I mean… if you knew what he could become…" Sensei smiled.

"It is plain for everyone to see, that Stoppable-san does not easily resort to violent behaviour. I had no fear that him turning evil the, shall we say, slow way, would happen. If he had, I might have taken him in, but as it was… I believed it best not to. Though I have pondered it sometimes", he admitted. Kim listened and felt…relieved. But the next question made her feel a bit…ill.

"How… I mean… You said that he'd been using them but not knowing it… How… how much of it…" she paused and sighed. She looked away. "How much of what he does is just him and how much is it the powers?" Sensei looked at her, and smiled softly.

"First, I must say, that even without the powers, Stoppable-san has more potential than he lets on. That said… You are adept at 17 types of kung fu. You have a sharper mind than most. Stoppable-san… does not, perhaps could not ever, reach up to your levels as much as he does had he not had the powers. If it had not been for them, I believe that he would have had a much harder time on your missions than he has so far." Kim slumped. That was hard to hear. On some level, she had always been surprised how well Ron kept up with her, even though he sometimes fumbled and dropped his pants, but… she had hoped that it was just him, nothing else. No, there was more to it, she decided.

"But he was going on missions with me before he got the powers! How could he have done that without the powers?"

"As I said, there is more to him than meets the eye. And, I do think it speaks more to his character than anything that he did not know that he had the powers, did not know how to use them, faltered as much as he did, and still stood by your side." Sensei's words made Kim smile.

"Yeah, it does", she said. "You rock, Ron", she added under her breath. But there was something more she had to know. Even if it had already been answered, she had to ask it specifically; otherwise she would regret it and just worry about it.

"Sensei… Do… Do you think that the powers could have… made him better at… cooking?"

Sensei's eyes flew wide. That was a question he hadn't expected. And it was a good one. He pondered it for a moment.

"I do not believe so", he said finally. "I fail to see how… cooking would be a matter of life and death for him, and I do not believe that he could have… maliciously cooked food." What a thought, Sensei mused. "And even if that was the case… cooking is more an art than science, as our cook at Yamanouchi has often told me. And art stems from the soul, not pure knowledge. Maybe it could help in some parts, like how good grammar makes for a better story, or good knowledge of anatomy makes for a better sculpture, but… In the end, I must say no, his powers have most likely not helped him in any way, kitchenwise." Sensei was surprised to see Kim draw a sigh of relief.

"Stoppable-san… likes to cook?" he asked, finally giving in to his curiosity. Kim nodded energetically.

"He loves it! And he's really good at it too! Didn't you know that?" Kim asked. Sensei sadly shook his head.

"Whenever Stoppable-san and I speak, we seldom have time to talk about anything but training. And when we do, you mostly talks about you." She smiled and blushed a little at his words. "Tell me," he added, "how good is he?" he couldn't help it. He wanted to know.

"Well, I'm not good at cooking at all, so I think everything he does is just… perfect. But… well… when we took Home Economics, Mr. Barkin ended up letting him take over the entire class! Do you know how many times that has happened?" Sensei shook his head.

"Once, and that was Ron", Kim said. "I mean… we've got people like Justine Flanner, who's basically got a Nobel prize in physics just waiting for her, but Barkin doesn't let her take over the physics class! But it's more just him being good, it's like… It's like… When he's cooking, he's all like… zen." She paused. "He was… whenever we talked about what we were gonna do after high school and college… he always said he was going to open a restaurant. And I know it's gonna be great."

Sensei felt like laughing. The wielder of the Lotus Blade, the chosen one of the Yamanouchi, the last monkey warrior, the Ultimate Monkey Master, the Supreme Monkey Ruler, the Great Blue… wanted to become a chef. If there was a God of fate, he or she had just taken a custard pie to the face, thrown by the God of comedy, or perhaps, the Monkey God himself.

Kim talked about Ron and his proficiency in the kitchen for about 15 minutes. Sensei listened as best as he could, even though cooking had never been his strong suit, as he explained.

"Yamanouchi has many rooms, many secret passages and vaults only open to me. But for all that, I am not allowed in the kitchen. Ever" He had remarked, which made Kim laugh as she explained that she was pretty much the same.

Finally, Sensei had to leave. He invited her to come down to what they called The Municipal Building later on, as they were showing a movie. The Municipal Building was the largest building that had been constructed before they arrived. Most of it was underground, to hide it, and the entire community could fit in there.

"I think I'll do that", Kim said. "And besides, if Yori's gonna be there, I could say I'm sorry for being such a drag these last few days."

"I think she understands your feelings anyway", Sensei said.

"Well... it wasn't just that I felt down… I mean… I'm still not over that she drugged me… and… well… I mean it's no big now, really but… Ever since… that time with DNAmy… and, you know… she kissed Ron and all that…" Sensei nodded. He pondered.

"You know… after that affair… I started to make plans to bring Stoppable-san to Yamanouchi for the duration", he said. Kim raised her eyebrows.

"You did?" she finally mustered. Sensei nodded.

"One of the reasons I never brought him to us apart from short visits, was that I wanted him to… shall we say, have a life. When I saw the attraction between him and Yori, I realized that perhaps he could have a life at Yamanouchi as well."

"Why didn't you?" Kim asked. "I mean, not that I'm complaining, but…"

"It was Yori who made me understand", Sensei said. Kim's eyebrows arched. "She told me about Stoppable-san, how nervous he was that you would find out about what was going on, and how guilty he felt about not being able to tell you about his experiences. And she told me about how you followed in almost a jealous rage. As she said, no matter in what way, it was your destiny to be together. Separating you would… not be good for either of you."

Kim smiled. Yeah, she had a lot to apologize for. Sensei sat still for a moment. Talking about destiny…

"Possible-san…what you told me about your pregnant state… I must ask… Do you believe that you would be in this state if what you told me had not happened?" Kim shook her head.

"No. I mean… maybe we would have… ahem… I mean, we had the prom coming up and I know it's a cliché, but maybe… but not pregnant, no. We would have used… something. Why do you ask?" She asked, blushing a bit. She was a bit embarrassed, but she knew that if Sensei asked it, it could be important. Sensei smiled.

"Possible-san… I know you have suffered much for you decision to keep your child, but now… I believe that it was your destiny."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, not really ready for another big revelation.

"If you had not been in this state, you would have been by his side as a mindless drone, yes? And the only ones here would be 25 000 people he had never met and three sworn enemies."

"Well… there would be you and Yori… he wouldn't do anything to you", Kim said softly. Sensei bowed.

"I thank you for your words. They do me a great honour. But I have lived a long life. I have seen men the world considered more honourable than Stoppable-san commit far worse crimes at greater risk and for a lesser reward." He almost shuddered when he said those words. Kim bit her lip.

"However", he continued, "with you and your child here… If there was anything that could make up his mind to turn back to us if it came down to a decision like that… it would be you. The power might have his mind, but you have his heart and soul."

Kim couldn't hold it in anymore. She got up, walked over to Sensei and gave him a big hug. She let a few tears fall. Sensei wasn't used to this type of behaviour from his students, but he held her close as she wept her tears of joy and sadness.

After a few minutes, he really had to leave. As he neared the door, he turned again.

"If you wish to now play a more active part, there will be a meeting tomorrow on a subject I believe you have great interest in", he said.

"How to fight back?" Kim said. Sensei shook his head.

"Not yet. The meeting considers someone else. Someone who should be with us but is not. Someone who, like us, is not mastered by Stoppable-san. Someone who we all owe our lives to, that we need to rescue." Kim smiled. There was a new fire in her eyes.

"Yeah, Sensei. I'll be there. I miss him too. And if we can save him, we're gonna do it. Because if there's anyone who doesn't deserve to be Ron's prisoner… it's Rufus."


	12. Mad Men

Tomo sighed

**Author's note: Again, something of an interlude. This chapter also contains a kigo. ****But not the way you think.**

_Tomo sighed. He hated to admit it, but he was nervous and he really shouldn't be. There had been times when he had the right to be nervous. His first day of basic Tai Shing Pek Kwar training. When he stepped into the circle of jade statues. His first day travelling with Toshimiru. His first real fight. His first fight alone. Those were reasons to be nervous. This shouldn't be._

_She was just a girl, he reminded himself. Sure, she was very beautiful….and she could handle a sword… and she was his teacher's daughter… and she was very beautiful. But all the same… apart from her beauty, her swordsmanship, family connections, beauty, perhaps good schooling, and beauty… she was just a basic average girl. Right? And he was going to be able to talk to her about something other than the best route, how to stay out of sight and things like that. Right?_

_Tomo sighed again. He had been raised in an all-boys orphanage, so perhaps it was all because he was not used to being around girls. Certainly not girls like Aiko._

_She was sitting on a rock, a bit higher up on the mountain. Her hair was flowing in the cold breeze. The only thing that threw off the otherwise perfect picture was that she was wearing the clothing of an apprentice monkey warrior who hadn't yet been allowed to walk into the circle of jade statues. Had she been wearing a dress or something, it would have been a picture worth painting. But if she had been wearing a dress, Tomo would have really never dared approach her._

"_Aiko-san", he said, steadying his voice as best as he could, "are you feeling alright?" Aiko looked at him solemnly._

"_I miss my father", she said softly. Tomo gazed at her sadly. "He… He was only two days away. And now…" She paused._

"_I know", Tomo said. "I miss him too." Aiko smiled at him._

"_You saw him only a couple of days ago, how can you miss him already?" She asked. Tomo swallowed._

"_Well, I… I mean… " He tried and failed._

"_I know what you mean", Aiko said. "You saw him change. You miss the old him." Tomo nodded. "I'm… glad I didn't have to see that", she finished._

"_I am as well", Tomo said. "But I do miss him the other way too. He is… my brother-in-arms, after all." Aiko seemed to sense his nervousness._

"_He never told me how you met", she said._

"_Well… There's not much too it, really", Tomo said, scratching his neck._

"_Then sit down and tell me about it, Tomo-san." A phrase like that could alter the world, Tomo thought, as he sat down as carefully as he could._

_He proceeded to tell her. He had grown up here, by the foot of Mount Yamanouchi, in the orphanage. When he turned twelve, he was sent to the fields, a week away by horse, to earn his keep. It had been hard work, but Tomo didn't have anything against it._

_And then, one day, Toshimiru rode into the fields. He had explained to the foremen that he was looking for a new __apprentice, and the stars had told him this was the place to find one. Of course, the foremen had let him take a look at the boys, but Toshimiru couldn't decide. So he arranged a competition. The boys, all 50 of them, in ages ranging from 11-16, would fight each other for the right to be his new student._

_Aiko was visibly impressed._

"_You defeated 16-year olds when you were twelve?" She asked. Sure, now he was a monkey warrior, but at twelve? Tomo smiled._

"_I made it to the second round, and then I was defeated by an older boy, I forget his name", he replied. Aiko looked surprised._

"_But if you didn't win…"_

"_How did I end up becoming his apprentice?" Tomo finished for her. "Well... I didn't really think I would be anyway. I did as best as I could, sure, but… The only thing I could think about was how everyone would be walking away with smaller injuries. So I started helping those who were defeated out of the ring, gave them water, small things like that. No one was more surprised than I when I was declared the winner. Except, maybe, for the boy who won." Aiko still looked surprised. Tomo smiled._

"_When we rode away… I asked Toshimiru about it. And he said…" Tomo cleared his throat. "We can teach people to fight well, young Tomo. It is much harder to teach someone how to be a good person." His tone of voice resembled Toshimiru's so much, Aiko couldn't help but smile._

"_He said things like that", she said softly._

"_He did", Tomo agreed, not knowing what else to say. He looked into her eyes. They were hazel, to the degree that hazel itself must be thinking of renaming itself 'Aiko'. She took his hand, softly, as she looked out at the view again. Further down, the other monkey warriors were bustling about in the makeshift camp. Tomo smiled. With all his journeys and the things he had seen, he couldn't believe that what could be the happiest moment of his life had just happened on Mount Yamanouchi, the mountain in the shade of which he grew up. And he had no idea that Mount Yamanouchi would hold a few more interesting moments yet._

* * *

Almost 2 000 years later, Mount Yamanouchi had changed, although not by much. The school was there, sure, and but the overall feeling of the place had not changed. It remained a lonely place, even more so now, when three visitors were the only sign of life.

Ron Stoppable, who still referred to himself as such, opened the letter which had been left for him by the door to the main building he read it and smiled.

_Cicadas burrow_

_To __avoid the coming storm._

_But all storms must end._

"Heh. Five, seven, five and a kigo. Didn't know Sensei had it in him", he said, grinning.

"What are you talking about?" Warhok ask in his grumbling tone. Ron looked at him.

"A kigo is a Japanese term for a word that has some seasonal connection. Many say it's not a real haiku unless there is one, in this case" and he nodded at the paper in his hand, "it's 'cicadas', for summer. Never really cared for that rule myself, but I guess it takes all sorts."

"I meant", Warhok said, "what does it mean." Ron sighed.

"I thought that was obvious; they're hiding. You really should take the time to learn a little about the culture of the planets you are invading, Warhok." Warhok sneered, mostly to himself.

"Does this mean we can finally leave with our armada?" Warmonga interjected. "The only ones who could have stood in our way are clearly not going to take action against us. Wisely enough." Ron folded up the piece of paper and put it in his pocket.

"No. We are not leaving yet", he said. Warhok glared at him.

"Our ships have been ready to take us away for two weeks now. What else needs to be done? Surely they can not follow us to the stars?" Ron stayed silent for a moment.

"This is my world, Warhok", he said. "I may be leading you to… what was it, 'glorious victories and unrivalled conquest', but this is where I and my people will return to afterwards. And when we do, I do not want to find an army of Yamanouchi-trained ninjas armed with Drakken's weapons waiting to take me on. Grasp that?"

"The blue impostor couldn't create a weapon strong enough to take down the Great Blue", Warmonga said. "And besides, these… Yamanouchians are probably not more than a handful." Ron grinned a little as she berated Drakken, but sighed when she finished.

"I don't know how many there are. Like I said, I can't feel them at all. And according to Wade, the few I did know about has been erased from public records. There could be hundreds of thousands of them, maybe more. And even if I knew there was only a handful, ", he said, "they still have my dear Kimberly Ann."

"Ah, yes… I will enjoy seeing her again", Warmonga mused. "The rematch shall be a swift and merciless fight." Ron's eyes narrowed.

"It will be nonexistent", he said. Warmonga stared at him.

"I returned to exact my revenge on her! I will not be denied!"

"Think again", Ron said coldly, "or the first planet I attack will be Lorwardia itself." Warhok and Warmonga stared at him in shock.

"You can not possibly-" Warhok started, but Ron interrupted him.

"I can, and I will. If you wish to have me conquer for you, she will be by my side. If you so much as touch her, I'll make you regret it." With that, he touched his belt, and teleported away.

"The Great Blue… If he did not bear that title…" Warmonga sneered.

"I know, my dear", Warhok said. "When Warkrime saw his first emergence all those years ago, he truly found a-- what was the phrase? Double-edged sword, yes. But when the galaxy is ours, it will have been worth it." They both touched their belts and teleported away as well.

* * *

Monkey Fist sighed as he made his way up the mountain. It was going too slow for him, way too slow for a man like him. They had given him a wheelchair, except it had caterpillar tracks instead of wheels because of the terrain, and they hadn't given him a fast one, that was for sure. Two-year olds could outrun him. Perhaps that was why they gave it to him, he thought. So that he couldn't catch anyone and… what did they think he would do, exactly? Sure, he didn't have a spotless record, apart from that Endentin-thing, but…

He sighed again. The trackchair pushed on. The time he had spent here had not been good thus far. Everyone avoided him. He could handle that. Everyone despised him openly. He could deal with that too. His feet were gone. That bothered him, yes, but he had once learned to cope with monkey feet. He could learn how to cope with no feet. In time.

The problem he had was the Endentin-thing. It still bothered him. It bothered him because he still hadn't found an answer. Without the drug, would he have threatened to murder a pregnant girl if he had to? Perhaps. Would he have done it? Hmm.

He looked up to what seemed to be almost like a platform. Given that his trudge up here had taken him the better part of the day, he decided to turn back down once he had a moment of meditation up there. The air was cold and clean on this mountain, and he felt it did him good. He couldn't help but sigh again when he reached the platform. He was not alone.

Yori had found this place a few days ago, and found it to be a good place to train. She had recently decided to learn more Tai Shing Pek Kwar, but felt that she needed to be alone to focus.

"Your stance is wrong", a voice said. She knew that voice anywhere. She frowned.

"And I should listen to you for advice, Fiske-san?" She replied.

"I am a master of monkey kung fu, after all. And, as I remember, it took almost the entire graduating class of the Yamanouchi and some alumni too keep me from finding the Yono and the Han. I believe you know that I am quite skilled", he said. Yori hadn't looked at him yet, but she could imagine that he was holding his head a bit too high for his own good.

"We defeated you just the same, if you remember. And a true master has honour. A true lord has honour. You have none", she said as she turned and finally faced him. Now he frowned. His frown grew into a grin.

"I still managed to find out their names despite all your efforts, didn't I? If it hadn't been for the Endentin I would have found both the destroyer and the weapon by now! And if you think you can insult me for being a lord you should have met me when I was in my punk rock phase. It doesn't work as well now. Back then, I would have given you a right hook."

"And a right kick as well. But such is not the way now, is it?" Yori's words stung him. He wasn't prepared for that. "You disliked being a lord?" She continued.

"It wasn't until I graduated from Oxford that it did any good", he answered, simply. She glared at him.

"Apart from the wealth and the nobility, I assume?" She asked. He looked away.

"I was born into peerage but not into the wealth and the rest", he answered. "My father squandered most of it before I was even born. I even had to go to state school." He leaned in a bit. "Do you know how… interesting your school years turn out when your teachers have to call you 'Sir' or 'Lord Montgomery'?" Yori pondered it for a moment.

"I take it your class mates didn't take it too well?" She asked.

"Why do you think I started training martial arts? That got them off my back soon enough." He couldn't help but smile a little when he remembered it. Old names flew by in his mind. Yori looked at him angrily.

"You attacked them?" He nodded at her words. "Your teachers must have told you only to defend yourself, nothing else!" She said, furious.

"When it feels like you life is under constant attack…. Knowing what self-defense is gets rather hard", he responded. They stared at each other for a moment.

"If you where not born wealthy…" Yori started.

"How did I come to be just that later?" Fist finished for her, grinning.

"I could not imagine archaeology to be a lucrative field", she commented.

"Unless you know how", he said slyly. "After all… do I seem to be a man who thinks all discoveries should be kept in museums?" Yori's face turned sour again.

"Then you are nothing but a grave robber, Fiske-san", she said. He grinned a little.

"You've already insulted my lack of honour when it comes to being a master of monkey kung fu and a lord. Did you think I'd get angered by you insulting my professional honour as well? Really… Unless you hadn't understood this already… I am a bad man." His voice turned cold toward the end.

"I did not think otherwise", Yori said. She turned away for a moment. "Did no one realize this until you revealed what you had become?" He frowned.

"I can be quite an actor if I wish. Just ask Possible, she was fooled quite easily when we first met."

"Not even your Tai Shing Pek Kwar-teacher?" She asked slowly. He paled a little. He hadn't thought of Sensei Ito in years.

"No", he said and fell silent. His sensei had been a good friend. One of very few. Very few. "Why do you ask?" He couldn't help but say. Yori turned around with a grim look.

"Your sensei was my father", she said. Fist's jaw fell.

"I… I didn't know", he managed to say.

"How would you, you don't even know my last name"; Yori responded. She paused and looked away. "I have always wondered if he knew what you were. If he saw what I see now. I thank you for telling me."

"Is… is he here?" Fist couldn't help but ask. Yori shook her head.

"He died a year before you assembled the jade statues. And even if he were, my mother is the descendant. He wasn't."

Yori started to walk towards him now, still an angry look.

"He died, thinking you were his greatest student. He spoke about you often as such. And you dishonoured his teachings and him by becoming this… obsessed mad man." She broke into a run. From somewhere, she drew her war fans. Fiske raised his eyebrows. "Now you will pay!" She shouted. Fiske couldn't do anything but shield his head with his arms. But the blow never came. Instead he heard a metallic sound. When he looked up, he saw that she had cut both of the caterpillar tracks on his chair. She was now walking down the mountain.

He thought about what she had said. He really had no honour left. Not as a master, not as a lord, not as an archaeologist. When he closed his eyes, he could almost see his future. Considering his progress thus far… some day he might not need Endentin to do the unthinkable. He opened his eyes.

"Yori… did your father ever teach you Tai Shing Pek Kwar?"

"I was trained to be a ninja. Monkey Kung Fu was not something I studied", she replied, suddenly stopping. She looked back.

"If… if you want… I could teach you some of the moves he taught me", Fiske said, somewhat more nervously than he had imagined. Yori peered at him.

"I will think about it. But you still have to make you way down yourself", she said, starting to walk down again. Lord Montgomery Fiske sighed as he crawled out of his chair and began to, essentially, crawl down the mountain. It took him no longer than the chair would have.

* * *

"Come in!" Drakken yelled and Kim opened the door to his cabin. She was shocked by what she saw. The walls, the floor… even parts of the ceiling were covered in sheets of paper.

"I see you've been keeping busy", Kim said. Dear lord… Not even Ron could mess up a room like this. Even the Hatchet Decimal System had more order.

"Ah, Kimberly Ann, how nice to see you!" Drakken said. There seemed to be, paradoxically, both sincerity and malice in his tone.

"No big", she said, not knowing how to answer otherwise. "What is all this? Trying to get back to taking over the world?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Not so much. I've merely been proving that I am a true genius, as I always have been!" Drakken put his hands on his hips and grinned, as if he had unveiled a new death ray. Kim raised an eyebrow.

"Still not grasping reality, Drakken?" She asked. "Your monkey powers don't work anymore, so there goes the genius thing." Drakken frowned.

"You would think so, but no! The monkey powers might have given me an edge, but I still am a genius, just look at this!" He grabbed a few papers and shoved them at her. They had many complicated equations on them. Kim looked at him again.

"Oh…Kay", she said slowly.

"Oh, come on! Is it that hard to understand? I was admitted to the same college your father was! I invented the Bebes before I got these…. These powers. I was a genius then and I still am now!" He said, tossing the papers to the floor again. Kim pondered. He did have a point. And besides… Sensei had said that the more people used the powers, the more evil they became. And Drakken had not been as evil as he could have been.

"Maybe you're right", she said. "Wanna prove it?"

"The proof is right here", Drakken replied. Kim sighed.

"Yeah, and no one's gonna understand it because you're the only genius here, right?" Drakken squirmed a bit.

"Well… Maybe… But still! I am not just a monkey powered dope, I'm the real deal!"

"But no one's gonna believe you unless you prove it", Kim reiterated. "And I might have a way." Drakken looked intrigued.

"Go on", he said.

"You know we've been looking for a way to find and rescue Rufus, right?" Kim asked. Drakken nodded.

"Do you want me to build a… pink…naked… rodent, whatever-it-is-detector?" He asked.

"It's naked mole rat, and no, we've already found him. He's in Middleton. The Space Center, to be exact."

"So…?" Drakken asked.

"So… Ron has built some very impressive security systems. The ninjas can't break in. So if you're such a genius…"

"I should be able to break in!" Drakken finished. "But… errmmm… Shego was always better at that sort of stuff…" He continued.

"But she can't help us now. Only you can", Kim said.

"And I would risk my behind for a naked mole rat…why?" Drakken said. Kim sighed.

"I just said: to prove you're still a genius!" She was getting fed up, but she knew Drakken was needed to pull this off. He pondered for a moment.

"I'll do it", he said, eventually. "But! Only if you… don't tell Shego I helped you save the world, ok?" He said, a bit sheepishly.

"My lips are sealed", Kim responded, and smiled.


End file.
